


I Don't Know How To Forget You

by Lunarborn



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Possibly rating/warnings changed, Soulmate AU, There was no Saeyoung tag ??? Alright, by how much idk lmao, probably some minor OCS - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:45:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarborn/pseuds/Lunarborn
Summary: By the age of five the inky black letters began etching their way across the skin of her wrist, tingling with the feeling of it. Every letter, every word exchanged between the two of them allowed her to see the bright and hopeful light that was ultimately Saeyoung. Those same inky letters stop writing themselves across her skin at the age of fifteen, and their absence took his light with them.Soulmate AU based off an au in thispost.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been quite awhile since I've written, but it seems like that's a pattern I'm creating In between fics haha. Anywho, I'm rusty :p
> 
> Also, this fic will probably follow the canon in a lot of ways, so hopefully that doesn't make it uninteresting, this chapter is almost like a test, I've never written in this point of view. 
> 
> I also feel it's hard to write a reader insert fic when I think of MC as a character of her own with a specific personality, so just let me know what you think and if I should try continuing!

You were told at young age, sat down by your parents at bedtime as if it was some sort of fairytale, about soulmates. How with a bit of thought and intent the mere tip of your finger could be used to etch a message along your skin, one that would only be seen fleetingly along another person's skin.

 Your mother would tell you that person never changed, that those messages would only be exchanged between the two of you. Father said that same person could write things to you, and since birth you two were chosen to be connected in some way. Just like your parents, and everyone else in the world had a person like this too!

 But you were young, and you thought it to be just another bedtime fairytale, because the whole thing sounded as if it belonged with the magic of fairies and Santa Claus. Although at the time, you believed more in the latter than this soulmate you'd been told about. After all, did they leave presents under the tree for you and everyone else on Christmas?

You weren't much older, a few months after your fifth birthday, when you felt something bright and warm, almost uncomfortably so, tingling along your inner wrist. At first you began to panic, as young children often do, thinking you were hurt, but when you looked down at your wrist there was _ink_ sprawled across it.

 The letters were wobbly and uncertain, but you knew enough of writing by now to understand the simple word.

  _Hello_

One word, one simple greeting that you heard everyday at school, had you bursting into happy tears, running to your parents.

 “It's real!” You'd exclaimed “soulmates!”  

They'd seemed a bit taken back, they hadn't realized you'd take their explanation months back as a make believe story, but they'd smiled and wiped away your tears, encouraging you to respond. You didn't know much of writing at the time, just as you figured your soulmate didn't, but you responded as best you could.

 As you grew a bit older you both started talking more and more, and although you could tell he wanted to tell you more, he would only give you bits and pieces of information about himself. Yes, ‘he’, your soulmate was a boy, he told you as much. He told you he had a brother, and you could tell by his bright words that would radiate off your skin when he spoke of this brother that he cared very dearly for him, but it seemed as if...something was off. He skirted around describing his family, and only late at night, when the tingling on your skin would wake you up would he write of how he wanted to run away with his sibling.

 _I don't feel like I really have a home_.

He had written you one night, and the particular note pricked even more painfully than the others. It was all he wrote to you for days, despite your desperate messages asking if he was okay and what he meant. After all, as young as you were, you couldn't have guessed that it was likely your soulmate was growing up in an unsafe home. You hadn't known what that was like, not really. The absence of his words when days like came around made your wrist feel cold.

 But eventually, he always came back, a rushed apology and little to no explanation of his absence. Even then that hurt a little, but if he didn't want to tell you about his family, you didn't want to pry.

As the years went by there were other things he'd tell you about. His school, and church, a cat he found once in the street. He'd wanted to take it home, but he knew that he couldn't, and you could feel how sad that made him. You'd promised him one day you'd get him a cat of his own. That cheered him up quite a bit. He'd talk of his brother, always vaguely, but you could tell how much he meant to him. You both liked the summer. You wanted to go diving in the ocean, he wanted to fly up to the stars. Little things and big things, as much as you could the two of you shared.

 He had become someone very important to you, and as you grew older you got to know more and more, each words warming your heart and your skin alike.

 One day he told you about his newfound determination to learn all he could about computers, why he wouldn't say.

 Another day he told you his name. You were fourteen when you first saw the letters mark your skin, and he explained how he was afraid a certain someone might see him tell you this. That was why he hadn't mentioned it earlier. Who that certain someone was was not said however.

 And then...nothing. For a while you thought maybe he was just going through another rough time, and you gave him a few days. But when you began trying to him again, you still received nothing in return. Days turned to weeks, then months, and long before that you had already grown frantic. Where had he gone?

He couldn't have died, from what science told you if that were to happen you have would known, a terrible ripping heat would have seared your skin. There was no way that was something you'd miss. But you were missing _him_ , his kind and sometimes playful words, both of encouragement and of teasing. His quiet, serious days, days when he'd talk of how he was going to become talented with computers, that resolute determination that made it impossible for you to not believe him. _Where did he go._

 Soon, months turned into a year. And finally, he wrote to you again. You couldn't move for a few solid seconds upon finally feeling that tingling against your wrist again, pure disbelief freezing you.

_I know it's been a while. I just thought I'd let you know, I can't talk to you again. I can't really explain why. You shouldn't wait for me, I'm not answering you anymore._

For a moment, you didn't understand. The words that were staining your skin didn't really reach you. A piece of driftwood floating upon the water, until the ocean soaked its way into the material, and slowly but surely, it sunk.

The words burned you, your flesh felt like it was searing, yet you were certain it wasn't the burn of a soulmate passing. On fire and yet the pit of your stomach felt, very, very cold. A cold that was like the snow when it melts into your skin. It hurt, and you weren't even sure what exactly it was. Everything, probably, because your soulmate had just completely shut you out, and you had no idea _why_.

Moments later, still completely distraught, teary eyes blurring your vision, you had tried answering him. Saying anything, everything you could think of, if only to change his mind.

 It occurred to you later on that even though he meant so much to you, you hadn't even gotten to meet. It felt like you had, the hundreds of conversations you'd shared close to your heart. Try as you may, days to turned into months again, and months to years. There wasn't any word from your soulmate, no response of any kind. This person the world had told you were connected to, had decided to reject fate and cut that tie.

 At the time, you'd felt devastated. You were angry and confused and sad, he wouldn't answer you anymore and you weren't really sure why. Eventually it didn't hurt quite as much, eventually the feeling wasn't so raw and fresh to deal with, but it never went away completely. You found that after awhile, you couldn't even really be mad at him. It hurt and it was hard, but if he didn't want you to be a part of his life anymore..you had to learn to accept it. You'd told yourself this, and it made sense, just because the world said you were soulmates didn't mean he was obligated to talk to you.

 “Although it might have been nice if he had made that more obvious before he suddenly just stopped talking to me.” You sighed to yourself quietly, your words not really breaking the silence of the hallway you stood in.

 It had been around seven years since then, it still hurt, that phantom pain still haunted your skin. But it was bearable. You could handle it, because really what else could you do? He'd made a choice.

 And you had just made one yourself, one that you were quickly regretting. Always being a little too kind, when you had been messaged by “Unknown” on this strange app, you'd felt compelled to go to the address they’d provided to try and help them.

 But really, why had you? You didn't know who this person was, and you didn't know where this place was. You had paused at the elevator going up, and your thoughts had been occupied with your soulmate, for no real reason in particular. Once you'd reached the correct floor however, those thoughts stilled. It wasn't a really unusual looking place, almost nice, the halls clean and pristine, the proper door right before you. But it hit you. _I don't know where I am. Why did I do this._

The phone in your hand was chiming frantically, Unknown asking you if you had arrived yet, the messages unseen to you when you had been deep in thought. Currently asking you to enter the passcode to the door. This was literally breaking into someone's apartment, the idea making you uncomfortable. You told them as much and they'd suggested knocking.

 Of course that didn't work, Unknown urging you to open the door with the code. It didn't feel right, but you heart just about dropped into your stomach at the thought of leaving, of telling this stranger no. It just felt like...there wasn't much of a real choice here. So you entered the code and stepped inside. The app looked like it was in a different chat log now, many different people with many different icons quickly shooting messages back and forth. Were you in the chat? As if on queue they started noticing your presence, but they were surprised. You'd thought maybe they knew this Unknown person, but as far the conversation went, they were just as confused as you were.

 They asked you to join them, due to circumstance, to become part of the RFA. It didn't sound like a bad group, helping to raise money for charities. These were strangers, and that thought was yelling itself at you, but you accepted the invitation easily. You weren't even sure why, but you could tell it was the same thing that convinced you to come to this abandoned apartment in the first place. For a moment you'd thought maybe your thoughts of your soulmate in the elevator were a sign, that somehow he was in involved, but that was hopeful at best, and somewhat foolishly so. What were the odds of that? None of those members even had his name, and if they did it could be coincidence, because you only told each other your first names when you were young.

 “What wishful thinking,” you muttered to yourself, sliding down against the wall by the entrance to the apartment, until you were sitting on the floor.

 “There was no Saeyoung in that chat, though, was there?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know everyone knows who the cast is but!!! MC doesn't so ya know,.. bare with me here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have mentioned this before but!!! I have a lot going on so updates on this will prob be pretty slow, finshing my last week at work and working on moving out of state so please be patient and thanks for sticking around!! Like always I can't tell if my writing sucks or not there prob is typos in there thou so sorry :p
> 
> I know this isn't the day one phone call but I wanna make my own interactions when I can and not just nab them from the game??? Also idk this one sounded more believeable in my head hopefully it worked out
> 
> If you wanna message me my Tumblr is iizaya~

You couldn't sit here forever. It was the first thought that broke through the haze you were in. You hadn't even truly absorbed half of what the other RFA members had been telling you in that first chat, only the things that had been immediate, such as the offer to join their group. Opting to read through it again before anything, you continued to scroll through it, an almost smile ghosting your lips at the context of the chat. These people...were all so distinctive in personality, all so different and unique. It was a trait you had easily recognized, because it was something you had in common with them.

 They really seemed like genuine people to you, but you knew your judgment could be wrong. Naturally an open hearted, compassionate person, there had been numerous times when you had been too trusting of people and they'd misguided you.

 “Kind of like right now,” you said aloud to no one but yourself. “Seriously? ‘Unknown’? On some chat room app I've never seen before? What was I thinking?”

From the way your head was aching at your own foolish decision, you figured now wasn't quite the time to move from where you were. You had been sitting there for a long while, mind racing for some kind of solution to all this. It wasn't that helping a charity fundraising organization was something you didn't want to do, it was just that working with a group of complete strangers under peculiar circumstances was unsettling, to say the least. Even before you had begun scrolling through the now old chat again, something had stuck with you, something that had become something very important to you, a detail you rarely forgot about a person. Their names.

These people had introduced themselves. You had an unknown amount of time and this apartments surprisingly reliable wifi, so you did the first thing that came to you.

 You'd looked them up on google. Sure, it wasn't as if a simple internet search would tell you everything you wanted to know, but at least you could figure out a little bit more about these strangers you were now helping.

 Jaehee Kang was your first search. The only thing to really come up was a public facebook page that looked overly formal and a little outdated. She didn't seem to use it much, and it showed in its contents, as most of the things she had there were work related, but the pictures matched those in the chat so you were sure it was her. Mentions of C&R were the first thing to catch your eye, and you vaguely recalled the mention of her working for Jumin.

Very few pictures actually featured herself, and in each one she looked...exhausted, really. Sometimes there was a small smile on her face, but it seemed as if it never reached her eyes, which were always adorned with dark circles. There were a few more old posts, mostly related to work, a few displaying some nice looking branded coffee, and a single deeply buried mention of ‘The Zen Fanclub’. Was it referring to the RFA member Zen? You thought it was too coincidental to be otherwise.

 Overall it made you a little bit sad for her. She obviously worked very hard, and to you it seemed like she was trying to seem constantly put together. But she was tired, so very tired, and perhaps not nearly as collected as she appeared.

“Jaehee...maybe we could be friends..”

 Then again, you typically weren't as stern or as serious as she seemed. Hopefully she'd like you anyways. After all, you thought you were definitely serious where it counted. Even though once you got to know people, they typically found your humor strange and childish…

Your next search had been Yoosung Kim. He had honestly seemed eager to introduce himself from what you remember, even though you were a complete stranger that could be dangerous. His search led to a facebook page too, that was far more active and had links to various other social media accounts as well. There was lots of talk of video games, especially one titled LOLOL, but also things about college homework and clubs as well.

To be quite honest, even though he was clearly on social media much more than Jaehee, his life didn't seem entirely eventful, there was a tired look in his eyes as well, but even more so you could swear there was a bit of sorrow there too. He did have this happy and caring energy that made you smile, regardless of this. You couldn't help but wonder however, had you actually seen that sadness in his eyes? The RFA mentioned the death of their previous member, whose apartment you were currently sitting in and whose role you were now to fill. Yoosung had said she was his family, hadn't he? That loss must be reason as any to be mournful or sad.

Zen was next, and he had as many active social media accounts as yoosung, as well as a few other websites mentioning him, as he was a musical actor. There were plenty of pictures of himself scattered across these accounts, and much of what you could find about him was related to his acting or his fan club. He was always kind and considerate when regarding his fans, and his words seemed genuine.

 He seemed very passionate about his career, and there was a light in his eyes that didn't reflect the same tiredness that Yoosung or Jaehee’s eyes held. But they both had at least a vague mention of their family from what you could find, and it struck you as odd that you could find no mention of his family at all. You couldn't help but wonder why that was, yet it was probably something too personal to ask when you didn't really know him at all. Maybe you'd become acquainted well enough for it to be asked later.

 It kind of irked you how easily you were willingly to consider a later, because you were being too trusting again. Of strangers no less, but these people seemed genuine.

Jumin Han seemed like an important name, powerful, and when your search provided countless websites from celebrity gossip pages to minuscule news reports, it confirmed this. His father was the head of a large corporation, and Jumin was no doubt employed there, surely he was the heir as well. Most of the gossip was related to his father and not himself, often mentioning C&R chairman’s latest girlfriend. Jumin was certainly attractive and young, yet not once could you find any mention of his love life, aside from the off rumor of him being gay.

 If he had any social media pages, you couldn't find them. You found that in order to find anything out about Jumin himself, you had to go back to the old chat, and even then there wasn't much. You mulled over the picture of him and his cat, ‘Elizabeth The 3rd’, for a long while. The adoration you could see in his eyes was actually very endearing. Despite the professional cool he gave off, you could sense a lot of passion beneath his surface. And again, you just couldn't help but think he seemed lonely too. 

They all seemed lonely, to be quite honest.

Resting your cheek against the cool wood of the door you sat next to, you started your final search.

707, Luciel Choi, as the old chat had stated. Nothing came up. A google definition of the name ‘Luciel’ and a few other sites defining it as well. A restaurant named ‘Choi’s’, and a Wikipedia page defining the surname.

 It didn't make any sense. Sure, an ordinary person with maybe little or no social media could bring up a search like this, but these people had all been a part of these supposed fundraising parties that had brought publicity to the cause, and them as well. On every search there was at least some mention of the RFA, and its members as well. You realized only now that Luciel Choi was never listed. It felt cold, empty, like that person didn't even exist.

You stared at the fuzzy CCTV shot of 707 until your head hurt. Maybe he just asked to not be listed, maybe he didn't have any social media pages, and maybe he just didn't like publicity. But it felt wrong somehow.

 By now you decided that it'd be best to help organize this event like you'd agreed upon, it was a good cause, and something about this felt fateful. You had a feeling you could get along with all these people. Even more so, the unsuccessful search of 707 was bothering you. You'd just have to get to know him yourself, it seemed, but still…

Your phone buzzed, notifying you of a message from the RFA app. A few of the members had tried talking to you through it already but since receiving an ominous message from Unknown you hadn't bothered opening any of them yet. Ironically enough this one was from 707. Deciding to leave that one unopened as well, you got up, stretching briefly before going to explore the rest of the apartment.

 Rika’s old apartment had the same feel the hallway did, cold and pristine. Walking down the hallway there was a door on either side of you, to your right a bathroom and to the left a kitchen. You continued walking down the hall, and at the end was a large room, a computer desk and bed on the end to the left, while a small couch and flatscreen rested on the right side of the room. A chest of white drawers along the wall across from you, nothing on their surface, and a few curtained windows adorning the right wall.

 Everything was clean and put away, untouched. A thin layer of dust seemed to cover the whole place. It truly felt like the home of a dead person, and you were becoming increasingly uncomfortable, because this place felt dead, erie, and yet the walls felt like they could have eyes. You felt watched, no doubt because of Unknown, the whole reason you were even stuck staying here.

_It'll be really fun from now on. Enjoy your time with everyone. I'll go get you soon._

 The words kept replaying in your head, and it was starting to make you dizzy. As you were sitting down on the cold leather of the couch to try and steady yourself, your phone chimed again. The tone was different, and you realized it was a call this time. The sound had startled you, in the worried state you were in, and you panicked. Jabbing a finger at the screen to decline the call...you accidentally accepted instead.

You didn't even see the caller ID. Just as you were quietly berating yourself for your clumsiness, ready to hang up, you heard an exaggerated voice on the other end. Curiosity got the better of you, and silently, you put your ear to the phone.

 “This is an automated message from the RFA’s messaging system. RFA app user ‘MC’ has yet to respond to any RFA members messages. A fee will be fined for each message that has yet to be answered within the next thirty seconds.”

The voice on the other end sounded somewhat boyish, and the tone was completely monotone, as if they were trying to impersonate a robot. It was just slight, but you could swear you heard a humorous undertone to the words. Confused, you pulled your phone away from your face briefly to check the caller ID. The phone read ‘707’, so then...was he playing a joke on you?

Instantly you were grinning. You had always been a playful person, but once you started getting older your parents and most of your friends thought you strange and childish for it. It was a strange first conversation to have, but you had wanted to learn more about Luciel, and already you were finding something out that was surprisingly pleasant.

You tried to keep the smile from your voice, but you were sure he could hear it.

“Oh no! But I'm not so sure I can respond to all those messages so quickly...will I still be fined if I just send everyone a random message?”

“Yes, you will be fined. I will check the system automatically to critique your messages. Any message from 707 will be triple the regular amount! Countdown will now begin.”

“Triple?! But that's so much. Why are his messages worth that much more?” You said, managing to feign sounding astounded at the costly price.

“He is the creator of this app, as well as a super hacker God. His messages would be a million times more expensive, but the background check taken on you shows you to not be wealthy enough for such a cost. Twelve second warning.”

 “Isn't there someone who can help me escape the clutches these fines?”

 “Eight seconds. Seven…”

“Ah, that's it!” You exclaimed, laughing a bit despite the countdown.

 “Three,”

“Super hacker God 707, save me from these pricey messages!”

If your family heard you right now they'd be embarrassed for you. You, however, were completely unashamed, and having maybe a little too much fun. Talking on the phone with strangers wasn't usually nearly this appealing.

 “Yes! God 707 is here to save you~” The monotone voice had morphed completely into the boyish undertone it had once held, and he sounded every bit as bright and playful as this call had made you feel.

 “Phew, what a relief. I've nothing but pocket change on me!”

 At that he laughed, brilliant and bright, you felt like you were glowing with the sound of it. Which was near impossible of course, but it honestly sounded _really_ nice.

 “Well it's a good thing I'm here to relieve you of your debts! Really though,” his tone turned serious, catching your attention more. “I had just been calling to check up on you. Everyone's been a bit worried since that first chat you were in, most of us messaged you and Jumin and Zen called.”

“Worried? Why?”

“Well it's been about five hours since any of us first tried getting a hold of you. With all this going on, I thought maybe you had some doubts.”

 “It's been that long?! I hadn't even noticed…” You muttered, wondering how you had really been looking through info on the RFA for so long without even knowing.

“Yup! So do you?” His voice somehow kept its upbeat perk whilst sounding somewhat invasive. Like he was going to find out either way, but asking was a courtesy. That wasn't nearly as comfortable as your previous teasing.

 “Well, honestly, yes. I do have some doubts, you're all complete strangers to me, yet at the same time… I want to help you all, I just need to get to know everyone and I think my doubts will probably begin to ease.”

There was no point in trying to lie to someone like this, you thought. You had a feeling he'd be able to tell whether or not you were being truthful.

 “Hmm, well thats natural! We really don't have sinister motives, so I suppose time will just have to solidify that claim. Ugh,” his cheerful rant broke off, a heavy sigh and some shuffling heard on the other end.

 “Um, are you alright?”

“Yeah, just gotta get back to work. I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye bye~”

 The line went dead before you could even respond, your finger hovering over his number until your screen faded to black.

 He was mischievous, playful, lighthearted...yet mysterious. 707 acted upbeat, but you felt like there was a lot more to it. No one was that one dimensional, but anything else about himself he had hidden. Buried somewhere deep and dark and secluded, much like a dead body, hid the rest of him.

 You felt like you could get along with him. Easily, simply, without much thought. That's about all you knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P. S. : comments are welcome and really help. It's important for me to hear audience feed back, ya know? :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some other members and other memories :')

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry these are taking this long!! I've been settling in in my new home. still job hunting but I stayed up til 9 am no sleep to finish this one for you guys!! I'm a little too tired to typo check so forgive me if there's some, or if the writings a bit stiff
> 
> Also I know there's not a lot of 707 in this one but I wanted to start introducing MC to the rest of the gang gradually as well. Also she doesn't hate Jumin I swear but I figure most people wouldn't like being lectured about their self care by a compelete stranger. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think as always, this one took so long to finish I know but I'm grateful if you're still reading >.>

When you were young it was considered strange for a kid to talk to their soulmates often, if at all. Most of the other children in your school didn't think much of them at such a young age, too busy playing and interacting with their friends. Your immense care for your soulmate alienated you from others your age for a long time. Because you sat off to the side writing on yourself to an unknown stranger when play time came around they thought you weird.

You never had a terribly large amount of friends, but you never really minded either. After all, you had Saeyoung to talk to, and he was your best friend. You always had been more inclined to having a positive outlook, so it never really made you feel sad that the other kids never came up and asked to play with you.

At first, you hadn't noticed the whispers and stares you'd had aimed your way either, occupied by talking to your soulmate or running around the play ground by yourself. You did notice, however, once your classmates began going beyond that.

 It started in second grade. Sitting on one of the playground swings, you were scrawling idly along your wrist, retelling the events of a field trip to the science museum you had visited the day before to Saeyoung. A scrawny boy with blonde curls and brown eyes had marched up to you. You never knew his name, he wasn't from your class, and he certainly never told you. You were sure you'd remember it if he had. It felt like he towered above you, he must have been a few grades ahead of you.

 “What are you doing?”

 The way he had spoken had startled you, his question sounding much more like a demand than anything. Looking up from your arm, you noticed the way his face was scrunched up angrily, hands on his hips as he glared down at you. You'd felt very confused by his attitude, and as young as you were that showed clearly.

“Um, I'm just sitting here...was this your spot or something? I can move.”

You stood as you said this, ready to find somewhere else on the playground to rest. Roughly, he pushed you. You fell back, narrowly missing the swing, you fell to the tanbark below.

“Hey! Why did you do that?!” Your voice rose now, as you angrily looked up at him.

“You weren't just sitting there. You were writing on your arm to your imaginary friend!” He shouted at you.

 By now you had gotten up again, and in your anger you pushed at his chest, but he didn't budge.

 “He's not imaginary, he's real! I talk to him every day!”

“Yeah, right. Have you ever even seen him? How can you know you aren't just talking to yourself?”

“Because my Mom and Dad told me so! Everyone has a soulmate, so what's your problem?”

 At that his eyes had flashed in immense anger. The other kids around the playgrounds attention had been captivated by the scene by now.

“Aw, you just believe whatever your mommy and daddy tell you? That's so dumb. No one else talks to their soulmates, because they lied to you. They're fake.”

 Your anger had been immense by that point, and you'd tackled the boy to the ground were you had rolled around and began fighting. When tears started running down your cheeks, the cruel boy still managed to laugh.

 It was only a few moments later that a teacher broke up your fight, both of you getting in trouble. But you hadn't cared. You were so hurt, even though you didn't know this boy. As young as you were, you just couldn't understand why he had been so mean to you, why he had hated you so much. Only when you were older did you recall the inky scar ripped violently across the flesh of his wrist, because only when you were older did you realize what it was. Scars like that only marked the skin of someone who's soulmate had passed.

Later on when you realized this, you couldn't bring yourself to be quite as angry. He was young and he lashed out at you because you still had that important person, and his important person was cruelly taken away. Sometimes you'd wonder if he remembered what he'd done, if he regretted taking that out on you.

 That didn't change the fact that his outburst caused a sort of chain reaction at school. After that the children that had once just meanly whispered of you started pushing you around, bullying and harassing you in progressively worse states. Eventually you had to change schools, but to your dismay this problem followed you until midway through middle school, when it wasn't strange to speak to your soulmate.

And not too long before yours had decided he never wanted to speak to you again, of course.

 You remembered how you'd never tell him any of this, about how you were harassed because of them speaking. You figured there'd be no point to it, and you feared you would make him feel bad for something that wasn't his fault. Maybe he'd even stop talking to you to prevent it. Funny how that had worked out, isn't it?

 You sighed heavily, leaning back into the cold back of the couch in Rika’s apartment, letting your mind return to the present. Why did your thoughts even keep going back to things like that since you showed up here? You felt so distracted, and it made no sense to you. A memory like that had no relation to what was happening right now.

Your phone sat untouched in your lap, when you picked it up the glass was cool. How long had you been thinking about this?

Remembering 707s words, you unlocked your phone, hovering over the missed calls recorded in the RFA messenger app. Just as he said, Jumin and Zen had called. If you truly wanted to get to know these people, to better trust and help them, you supposed this was as good a start as any.

Preforming a mini game of ‘eeny, meeny, miny, moe’ in your head, you chose who to call back first. Your tiger catching landed on Jumin, so you clicked on his number first.

 The phone rang four times, and when he answered you'd almost expected him not to.

 “Hello?” You said, feeling a little weird calling a complete stranger.

It was even weirder seeings how this was a complete stranger you'd just been nosily trying to find out as much as possible about only a couple hours ago.

 “Hello. MC, correct?”

You were caught off guard by just how distinctly different the voice was from the boyish mischief of 707. It was much deeper, and the cool and professional chill he gave off made you nervous. Like you were at a job interview for someplace promising and you had forgotten the answer to an important question.

 “U-Um, yes, that's correct.”

You hadn't meant to stutter, and you hoped he hadn't noticed. Somehow you felt like even littlest details didn't slip past by him, but he didn't mention it.

“I presume you're returning my earlier call? I'm glad to hear from you either way, although I can only speak to you for a few minutes.”

There was a long moment of silence.

“So then...were you just calling to check up on me?” You asked, struggling to keep a conversation going when Jumin seemed content to sit silently on the other end, seemingly completely comfortable with that.

“Yes. I understand this is our first time speaking, and that we do not know each other well, but as you are the newest member of the RFA I thought it only fitting to see how you were doing. I try to check up on all of the RFA memebers as best I can, and the timing seemed appropriate. So,”

 You were a little more relaxed despite his business like way of speaking. It was apparent that this was just the way he spoke with everyone, which made it feel less weird.

 “So?” You repeated in question.

 “Have you eaten well since arriving at Rika’s apartment? I assume there's no food there but a super market is likely nearby. It would also make sense for her to have kept rice and other grain products. These are non-perishable and filling, so if you haven't made it to a store yet I would think these would supply you until then. You've kept hydrated as well, I trust?”

 Jumins lengthy and rather motherly like rant, all spoken in his deep monotone, completely threw you off. It took a moment before you realized you had yet to answer, at which point you'd promptly spoken truthfully.

“Actually, I haven't really eaten or anything yet…”

 You could practically hear his frown, and it made you shrink in your seat a little.

 “Why is this? You know it's very important to take care of your health, don't you?”

“Yes, I'm aware,” you tried not to huff out the words.

 Despite the way his sterness sort of intimidated you, it frustrated you just the same. You honestly felt like you were being spoken to like a child.

“I've just got a lot going on right now, but I was just about to do those things. Thank you for your concern.”

 You had almost meant that last part sarcastically. He didn't seem to notice.

 “It's no trouble. I'm afraid I must be going now. Until next time.”

 “Good bye.”

 After you had hung up the phone with him, you let yourself stew in your thoughts for a few moments, trying to figure out what you thought of him. While you had been a bit irritated with what bordered on motherly doting from a near complete stranger, you couldn't help but also recognize that it was out of good intention. You supposed when you really thought on it, Jumin Han being kind enough to check up on your well being when you could very well be an untrustworthy stranger was endearing.

 “Sort of, anyways,”you mumbled. “I _guess_.”

 Despite your recent reassurances to Jumin, you settled with a large glass of tap water for the moment, nothing else, feeling a bit to on edge still to eat.

 Afterwards you'd called Zen, a bit reluctantly after your conversation with Jumin. The difference in them was startlingly, he had been trying to check up on you as well, for the most part. He also wanted to introduce himself and try and politely get to knowa few things about you. He was much more charismatic, and he actually held and created conversation instead of awkwardly sitting in silence.

“You should join the chat rooms!” He'd said.

You’d been quiet at that, contemplating it without giving recognition to his words.

Then, as if realizing what he'd said was somehow strange, he laughed awkwardly.

 “I know it hasn't been very long, but I'm sure the others would like to speak with you as well. Being the newest member and all.” It almost seemed defensive. You couldn't place why.

The idea made you uneasy. Sure, you hadn't been a complete socialite these past years, but it wasn't as if you'd never spoken to people that whole time. At the very least you thought you had a healthy amount social interactions. So why did it feel like a swarm of angry bees were buzzing around in your stomach at the thought?

 It was silly, really. Zen was right, it was a good idea. Getting to know your fellow RFA memebers? Of course that made sense, so when you saw a chat had been started an hour after your phone call, you joined.

**[MC has entered the Chatroom.]**

**Yoosung: MC! Hi )^o^(**

**Zen: Hello again, MC ^^**

**Jumin Han: ‘Hello again?’**

**Zen: You aren't even going to say hi to her? How rude -.-**

**Jumin Han: I was simply asking you what you meant by your statement. I assume you spoke with MC as well this afternoon?**

**Jumin Han: Good afternoon, MC.**

**Zen: >:/ **

One of your hands rested on your lap, tapping a restless rhythm along your thigh. Shakily, your other hand typed out a simple reply.

**MC: Hello everyone..**

**[Jaehee Kang has entered the Chatroom.]**

**Jaehee Kang: Good afternoon everyone.**

**Yoosung: You guys called MC?! I didn't even think to do that…**

**Yoosung: Plus there's a huge test coming up, so I was preoccupied with grieving my soon to be injured grade ;-;**

**Jaehee Kang: Drowning your sorrows in LOLOL, I assume.**

**Yoosung: When you say it like that, it just sounds bad Jaehee :’(**

**Zen: That's because it is. You should be studying.**

**Yoosung: Not you too,,,**

**Jaehee Kang: You really should be studying if there is a difficult exam soon. I don't think your video games should come before your grades.**

**Zen: Exactly.**

**Yoosung: You two are scolding me like a child!! >:0**

**Jumin Han: …**

**Yoosung: oh my god**

**[Yoosung has left the Chatroom]**

**Jaehee Kang: Somehow I doubt he left to study…**

**Zen: I wish he wasn't the one who left the room.**

**Jaehee Kang: You were hoping Mr. Han would leave instead.**

**Zen: Yeah.**

**Jumin Han: I'm still here.**

**Jaehee Kang: Need I ask why?**

**Zen: I'm worried he’ll scare MC off. He was already pestering her on the phone today! -_-**

Your stomach dropped to the floor. If you were uncomfortable before, it was nothing in comparison to how you felt now. Up until now, conversation had overall felt very natural, despite how uninvolved you'd been. These people were clearly comfortable with one another and it had begun setting you at ease until now. Why was Zen saying that? He hadn't acted like this on the phone.

**Jumin Han: If anyone had been pestering her, I'm sure it was you.**

**Jumin Han: I don't see how my presence could be troubling.**

**Jaehee Kang:...Anyways, I'll be going. Goodbye.**

**[Jaehee Kang has left the Chatroom]**

**MC: Neither of you were pestering me, really! Besides, I was the one who called both of you.**

**Zen: She was probably just returning your call.**

“Oh my God,” you wondered to yourself, a bit exasperated. “Did they even see what I said?”

**Jumin Han: And she wasn't returning your call?**

**Zen: What**

**Jumin Han: Two days ago MC likely didn't even know your name, assuming she wasn't a fan of yours.**

**Jumin Han: I am assuming this because I am assuming she has good taste.**

**Zen: Did you really just say that**

**Jumin Han: So tell me.**

**Jumin Han: Why would she call you of her own accord, a complete stranger, if not to be polite by returning your call?**

**Jumin Han: She wouldn't.**

**Zen: …**

This honestly didn't seem to be getting any better. You'd thought this would be a good idea; did these two always fight? It was a bit unnerving to be stuck in the middle of this seemingly pointless argument they'd created. Maybe it was avoidant, but it couldn't be the worst idea to just leave like Jaehee had, right? It was very tempting at this point. To recollect, take a breather, maybe apologize for the trouble later. A part of you felt guilty, that was sort of just running away from something you might be partially responsible for.

So instead, you'd deicided you'd just try and help resolve this right now. You didn't know these two at all, really, but if they realized how ridiculous this was they would calm down. Or you'd at least be able to figure out why they were at each other's throats.

**MC: Hey, guys, it's really not a big deal. I mean, I enjoyed talking to both of you, so I don't really see why you have to fight?**

**MC: This just seems kind of pointless, aren't you both friends?? I don't think friends say mean things like that to each other ^^;**

Oh no, that sounded kind of lame. Maybe it'd work, though?

**[707 has entered the Chatroom]**

**707: Whoooooooosh~**

**707: God**

**707: Seven**

**707: Oh**

**707: Seven**

**707: Defender of Justice!!!**

**707: Has officially landed from his thrilling and action packed flight! I traveled across many lands, soaring high in the air….But finally, I have returned.**

**707: :3**

**[Jumin Han has left the Chatroom]**

**[Zen has left the Chatroom]**

**707: Was this a bad time**

**MC: Uh**

Well, it could have gone worse, you suppose.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welllllll
> 
> Here we go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one kinda came out all at once so hopefully you all like it because??? I edited it and wrote it all in one go so this could be a real mess. Let me know anyways~

You felt a lot of tension ease when in that first chat room, Seven explained that Jumin and Zen’s behavior was normal. In fact, he seemed to think the prospect of it being anything but was hilarious.

You began attending the chat rooms more often, slowly gaining more confidence, a sense of normality, around these strangers.

Jumin Han almost always seemed stiff in his words, although you couldn't really describe it as awkwardness so much as it was a constant business-like demeanor. He never seemed uncaring in any way, more that he was stiff in many ways, even with his own feelings, and when it came to that, at least, he was in fact awkward. Zen was nothing if not passionate and openly emotional. He was was lively, if not almost moody at times, sharing his day-to-day work experience as an actor just as much as Yoosung would share about his guild or gaming achievements. Funnily enough, unless it was optional electives or clubs, the mention of school and the responsibility it entailed(usually brought up by Zen and Jaehee’s nagging) irritated him. It was a bit strange to watch someone so open and bright switch to being closed off, almost sounding exhausted when he had to fend off their comments. You'd felt bad about it a couple of times, and tried to be as nice to the boy as possible, since it was clear the whole endeavor was stressing him out. Jaehee was stiff in a way that was different from Jumin, as if being in a chat log where her boss could join at any time made her uncomfortable. It made sense, of course. She was also strict, in a way that entailed lectures about one's well being and tidbits of advice. You undeniably recognized her as ‘The Mom Friend’, and her concerns were rather sweet. Jumin Han and Zen still fought, but it was so often that you quickly learned to grow accustomed to it.

You'd only caught fleeting moments of V in the chat, and while you obviously hadn't been there long, the others made it clear that his appearances were both brief and extremely rare. He seemed gentle in a way that was tragic, just as one who was burdened or mourning might be, and when the others initially explained the situation and V’s relation to Rika it only made sense. He'd lost his soulmate, and you knew he must be hurting because of that, especially when it had been in such a permanent way. While the majority of the group seemed to hold a great respect for him as their leader, Yoosung seemed to hold a deep rooted contempt for him, even when it came to Yoosung’s relative, Rika. You remember him saying how after her death, V hadn't been nearly as torn up as he believed he should be. “He always wears long sleeves and jackets now, like he's trying to hide the mark of her death on his arm,” Yoosung had bit out angrily over the phone after V had showed up in a chat. The venom in his words sounded startlingly out of place coming from him. “But you know what I think? I think it's not there at all. He always claims they were soulmates, but I bet he's just trying to hide the fact that they never were.”

Yoosung, Jaehee, Jumin, and Zen appeared much more frequently, you noticed, than 707. At first you thought he joined just as often, until you realized that while he popped in often, he typically didn't stay for very long. Granted this had only been over the observation of knowing him for a couple days, but it seemed as if it was a regular pattern, beings how it was viewed as normal to the group. It was because of his job, and upon asking him he'd described himself as he had when you first spoke, and you could only take that to mean that he actually was a hacker.

It had only been a day or so, but already you felt a strange sort of draw towards him, one that reminded you of the way you'd felt compelled to help a complete stranger claiming to have found a missing cell phone only days ago. When he called, it was every bit as random as his appearances in the chat, no rhyme or reason or set time. That playful manner that he had spoke to you in in the first day was the way nearly all of your conversations went, but sometimes there'd be a moment, however brief, when his disposition sobered. He'd be quiet then, much more serious, and it was as if he was in deep thought, contemplating something he would never share or elaborate on. He'd brush it off, making some ridiculous joke, or jumping into a seemingly random topic of conversation, or even blurting a quick ‘goodbye’, hanging up.

While you rather enjoyed his near childish playfulness, you wondered about this. You knew that he typically acted a bit strange, but since your humor matched up it didn't come across that way to you. It wasn't as if you weren't aware of the fact that he was smart, exceedingly so, his job as a hacker should already indicate that to begin with, and he displayed that fact many times already. But if he wanted to talk to you, went out of his way to do so, then why did he close himself off just as quickly? Perhaps it only seemed this way because of how open you were, but still, you weren't sure. You'd tried calling him before when you'd wanted to talk, and he never answered, the call always quickly went to his voicemail, cheerily explaining that he was at work. He did call you though, over the past few days, multiple times a day. You went about trying to fill your role in the RFA, answering emails from potential party guests, yet you still couldn't stop yourself from thinking that it was a little bit strange. You felt like he must hold some level of likeness for you, at the very least the buddings of friendship, and yet he pulled away, back peddled, when things were anything but face level humor. In a way, you felt like you hadn't gotten to know him at all, he was every bit as mysterious and unanswered for as he had been when you walked through the door of this apartment, and in comparison the other RFA members felt like open doors. They didn't seem to question his strange behavior as much as you did, though, and you noticed quickly that aside from you, his strange rantings in the logs were usually looked over or ignored. It was kind of sad, actually.

When your curiosity was enough to almost irritate you, you decided to ask Jaehee about his weirdness in phone calls, and if she ever experienced the same thing. You'd asked her because she seemed like she could keep it between the two of you and because you hoped her seemingly logical mindset could help clear your hopefully ridiculous worries about this. When you had asked though, she couldn't give you many answers at all, as it was apparently strange for Seven to even call someone so frequently. She said she figured the only people he spoke to as often as that were his boss and V, although she couldn't be sure.

Through and through, 707 persistently seemed like one big mystery and it was starting to make your head hurt. You'd been meaning to tell him about the ominous message you'd received from that stranger as well, but the strange but easy friendship you had been forming always distracted you from it. Currently you were tapping your fingers idly along the computer desk, having just finished sifting through emails for the day, when your phone lit up, notifying you of a new chat starting up. From the time stamp, it would appear that it had begun around ten minutes ago, and you'd merely been zoning out, yet again. You were getting better with partaking in them already, so you easily decided to log in.

**[MC has entered the Chatroom]**

**707: Hey it's MC~ I thought you wouldn't join at first lolol**

**Yoosung: MC! Hi^^**

**Jaehee Kang: Good afternoon MC.**

**Jumin Han: Yes, good afternoon.**

**Jaehee Kang: Did you just…?**

**Jumin Han: Did I just what**

**Jaehee Kang: Nevermind.**

**Zen: Hey MC, how's your day been?**

A smile pulled at your lips. You already felt that you were growing to be friends with everyone, to fit into a group. It wasn't something you'd really ever had, and it was much nicer than you'd imagined.

**MC: Hello, everyone! I'm doing well^^ Just finished answering some more potential RFA party guests**

**Jumin Han: I commend your diligence, MC.**

**707: Sounds boring lol**

**Yoosung: I agree -.- I don't know how you answer emails all day**

**Zen: Probably about the same way you play video games all day**

**Yoosung: This again???**

**Jaehee Kang: Admittedly you have a problem.**

**Yoosung: Really though guys**

**Yoosung: We talk about this every day! Don't you guys have anything better to talk about??? At all???**

**707: True**

**Zen: You aren't really helping…**

**707: I wasn't trying to**

**707: Besides I'm sure he's on top of his grades so it's no problem**

**Yoosung: Um yeah! I totally am~**

**707: Exactly :3**

**MC: There was something I was curious about, actually…**

You typed the words out nervously, having hit backspace on the entire sentence many times before actually getting the courage to bring it up. Mostly because you were certain asking about the topic would result in you having to share as well. But soulmates were a common topic, being a part of everyday society, and it was surprising it had yet to even be mentioned yet. And maybe you were a little curious, enough to share your reject story.

**707: MC is gracing us with a question? An inquiry of the mind? What could it BE???**

**707: Perhaps it's about the answer to life, or the mystery of long cats freakishly long body, or even the origin planet of the amazing yet elusive Defender of Justice: 707?!**

**707: (I may not be able to ANSWER any of these injuries, but I'm dying to know them all the same ;3 )**

**Zen: Dude she can't even get the question out if you keep on rambling**

**MC: That's okay haha**

**MC: I do appreciate the enthusiasm of a Super Hacker God, after all （＾ω＾）**

**707: （＾ω＾）**

**Zen: You two are pretty weird, you know that?**

**Jumin Han: I agree.**

**Zen: Ew, don't agree with me**

**MC: Anyways**

You type a little more quickly, hoping to interrupt before the two can break out into another argument.

**MC: I know that maybe it's a little bit personal, but I was wondering about your guys soulmates?**

**MC: If you're okay with talking about it anyways;;**

**Zen: Oh, that's a great question MC ;)**

**Zen: I'll answer first**

**Jumin Han: You could already be answering.**

**Zen: I’m personally a little bit more traditional, so I've never tried writing to them. I'm sure the second we meet, it will be love at first sight, and I'll know <333 **

**Jumin Han: That sounds completely ridiculous**

**Zen: No one ASKED you >:/**

**Zen: Besides, it's not like we ever hear you talking about your soulmate**

**Jumin Han: That's because I've never tried speaking to them.**

**Zen: You're judging me for never writing to my soulmate when you're in the same position?? Talk about hypocrisy**

**Jumin Han: That's incorrect. I don't view it the same way you do, I have never tried contacting them because it's impractical and I don't have the need.**

There was a sinking feeling in your gut about this whole thing. Maybe it was best not to interfere, but…

**MC: Um, Zen**

**Zen: ?**

**MC: Maybe you should try writing to them, just once.**

**Zen: Wait why**

**MC: I just think it would be a good idea, I mean, I know you want to wait but;;**

**Zen: I have always been curious...You really think I should?**

You were a bit taken back by the fact that he was being so easily swayed. It was surprising, yet then again if past conversations were anything to go by, Jaehee always had discouraged him from romance. If others had as well it could be that he just wanted someone else to agree with him, to encourage him. That he was doubtful, unsure. You could distantly imagine people close to him shooting down his overly romantic endeavors, the actions causing him to never try writing. It was a sad thought.

**MC: Yep! I really do,**

**Zen: Alright, I just did ;)**

**Jaehee Kang: …**

**Jumin Han: /6;**

**Zen: wtf???**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han?**

**Jumin Han: My hand slipped. Perhaps it was a cramp.**

**Jumin Han: Oh.**

**Jumin Han: This appears to be one of two things**

**Jumin Han: Complete coincidence, or…**

**MC: Or what?**

**Jumin Han: ‘Love of my life, I've finally written to you. I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long <3’**

**Jaehee Kang: Oh my God**

**Yoosung: Wait what's going on**

**Zen:.........**

**Zen: No way. There is no way this is happening to me.**

**Jumin Han: Zen.**

**Zen: …It's on your arm. YOUR arm. You. Jumin Han.**

**Yoosung: :0000**

**Jumin Han: I'm calling you**

**Zen: No don't**

**[Jumin Han has left the Chatroom]**

**Zen: Damn it**

**[Zen has left the Chatroom]**

**Jaehee Kang: Well. This night has already gotten very eventful.**

**Jaehee Kang: I suppose, to keep things moving along, I'll go next. I met my soulmate several years ago, and after a few failed trials at romance we decided it was a platonic bond.**

**Jaehee Kang: Nothing quite as exciting, but that's that. She is very dear to me, so.**

**MC: That's wonderful Jaehee :)**

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you :)**

**Jaehee Kang: It would appear as if Mr. Han is calling me. Goodbye for now everyone.**

**[Jaehee Kang has left the Chatroom]**

**MC: How about you Yoosung??**

**Yoosung: Oh! Well;;;**

**Yoosung: I'm not sure I have one.**

Your heart sank at his words, and you immediately felt bad about asking. He was comfortable enough to talk about it, so it seemed like now you'd have to see it through. If he still didn't mind talking about it, that is.

**MC: What do you mean? If you don't mind sharing**

**Yoosung: I've tried writing to them for a really long time, but I've never gotten any answer, and I don't have a scar, so…**

It wasn't unheard of for people to be born without a soulmate, trying for years to write to someone who didn't even exist. Yoosung was such a warm, kind person, and yet the world was once again being unfairly cruel. It was a pattern you didn't want to see repeat itself, and yet it never failed to.

**MC: I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have pried.**

**Yoosung: No it's fine, I'm okay with talking about it. I still think I can find someone to be happy with anyways^^**

**MC: Of course! :)**

**Yoosung: So what about you?**

**MC: Um,, I used to talk to them, but some years back they decided to break contact. I haven't heard from them since**

You typed the words out despite the pain they brought back. After all, Yoosung had been able to share despite the way the topic must make him feel, so you wanted to be open about it.

**Yoosung: I'm really sorry to hear that :( maybe they'll get back in touch with you someday?**

**MC: I don't really think so.**

**MC: But that's okay, it's their life after all. If they don't want me in it I don't really have much say in the matter^^;**

**[707 has left the Chatroom]**

That was strange. 707 had been so quiet, you hadn't even realized he was still here this whole time. In fact, he hadn't spoken up since...you'd asked about soulmates.

“Maybe I hit a nerve,” you mumbled quietly to yourself, the words feelings as if they were bouncing off the walls.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumin and zen have a semi serious moment, 707s being a little shitty with his feelings and trying to act like it's a okay but MC is not buying it also UH OH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I take forever with this all the time but I do want to write it when it feels right to so it comes out as good as it can! Also happy belated 4th everyone and also I'm aware this might be the point in the story where some of the little technicalities may not be 100% spot on but that's okay?? Hopefully I did alright and no one minds it aaaaaa
> 
> Also. The irony in Seven and MCs convos in this is that Seven knows something MC doesn't...if u know what I mean

**MC: Seven, are you okay???**

**MC: You left the chat room without even saying anything, and it felt like you were acting kind of weird.**

**MC: All joking aside, I care about you a lot. I mean, I know most of the time our conversations are just plain silly, and we haven't exactly known each other for very long, but…**

**MC: Well, it's pretty obvious you didn't want to talk about that.**

**MC: I really am sorry, if I had known it was such a sensitive subject I wouldn't have brought it up.**

**707: nah lolol it's fine**

**MC: Oh.**

**MC: It is?**

**707: Yeah, it didn't bother me or anything, I just had to go really quick! Work was calling, my great and highly demanded Super Hacker God services were needed~☆**

**MC: You seemed pretty quiet the whole time, though.**

**707: Just dreading over all the pestering I was receiving from work. I'm fine MC.**

**707: Although it's so sweet of you to be so dearly concerned over my well being. Heart wrenching!**

**707: My heart is in fact much like a bird ready to break free from its (rib)cage at your poorly concealed affections!! I always knew you were the one and only astronaut interested in taking me up into the vast expanse of space☆**

**707: Never did I allow myself to believe until now, however, that we could travel the galaxies together, hand in hand, starry eyed space lovers~~~ Could it be true?!??!**

**MC: It may very well be, but I'll have to keep you in suspense for now, so that your restless heart may calm a bit. It wouldn't do for it to go breaking through your chest...I'm pretty sure you'd die!! 0.0**

**MC: I'm actually getting a little sleepy, so I'll have to wish you good night for now, I have to fly off to go sleep with the stars~**

**707: I wish I could join you up there in that starry space bed, but I've got towering piles of work and Ms. Vanderwood won't stop nagging me about what a mess my house is (-_-)zzz**

**707: Sleep well,for the both of us, space astronaut~**

You pushed away from the computer desk, huffing out a frustrated sigh. It was obvious it bothered him, and that he was hiding something, that he was pretending he wasn't. If you were to ask why, you knew he'd deflect, not even really acknowledge the question whilst wildly spinning off subject. You'd hardly been speaking for four days, so why did you feel like you knew him for so much longer than that? It was aggravating, and the icy hurt you felt whenever he shut you out confused you. He had every right to not want to be poked and prodded with personal questions or deeper topics of conversation, you were a _stranger_.

“I don't understand,” you mumbled to yourself, standing and leaving your phone on the desk as you wandered the apartment idly, trying to walk off the tension you felt. You were a little frustrated at yourself as well, for going along with his humorous derailing, but you hadn't wanted to push too far. Because then maybe he'd push you away, close himself off even more. But it was ridiculous because you were never going to really get anywhere with him if you didn't speak up, that much felt obvious, he would just keep changing the subject and distancing himself and you weren't really sure _why_. Yet this entire situation, this strong fear of pushing him away, of being rejected by someone who was quickly becoming important to you, seemed eerily familiar.

This entire event, meeting the RFA, felt so important somehow, even from the beginning, like the sort of fairytale fate you once used to hope for. And you remembered how when you first were riding up the elevator to the apartment, your thoughts had drifted to _him_ , your soulmate—

Ending your pacing, you walked back to the main room to grab your phone and turned sharply on your heels, making your way towards the front door. You were in desperate need of fresh air, all this nervous energy making you feel claustrophobic. There was no way you were going to entertain that train of thought, just because you didn't know his name and you liked him didn't mean he was your soulmate. There was just no way, and it was too painful to get your hopes up like that. Maybe he'd already met his actual soulmate, in which case you were probably being rude or invasive or creepy for even imagining it, and you were definitely overthinking it.

Quickly scrolling through the RFA contacts, you selected someone at random to call, only remembering again how late it actually was when Zen picked up on the first ring. Huh. He wasn't asleep yet?

“MC, is everything okay? You're calling awfully late.” Concern seeped through Zens voice, which sounded much too alert for someone you accidentally woke up.

“Yes, I'm fine,” you said, smiling at the flit of happiness you felt over his friendly concern. “I just needed someone to talk to to get my mind off all this RFA work! I should have been more mindful of the time, but it doesn't sound as if I woke you?”

Now that relief was palpable in his voice, you could also detect a bit of uncharacteristic nervousness. “Oh, well I'm glad it's nothing serious. And, um, you didn't wake me! So, I'd be perfectly fine to talk—”

Distinctly, as if they were speaking over Zens shoulder, another voice sounded out over the other end. “Zen, who is it?”

There was a long stretch of silence on both ends. It was only interrupted by the sound of the second voice asking again, only more annoyed, and what seemed to be Zen letting out something that was a cross between an awkward laugh and a cough.

Finally able to regain your voice again, you asked, smile evident: “Jumin is with you?”

“N-no, I mean he is, but we weren't doing anything! I just happened to pass by him on my way to, um, the store?”

You were laughing too hard to regain enough composure to answer for a good minute, Zen sputtering on the other end. You swore you heard Jumin mutter a quiet ‘Ah, it's MC. Why wouldn't you tell me that?’.

After what sounded like a small struggle on Zen’s end, he muttered out a quietly defeated ‘You're on speaker phone.’

“You're not a very good liar for an actor, are you? Also, I never said you two were doing anything.”

He did the awkward cough-thing again, and Jumin mumbled something about Zen _kissing him_. “Well, if I'm being honest, since we found out earlier today that we're...you know…”

“Soulmates.” Jumin interjected. He sounded like he was trying not to laugh, which was something you completely weren't used to hearing in his voice.

“Yeah, um…anyways. We decided to meet up and talk about it, you know? And about the bad air between us—”

“The ‘bad air’ is held by you exclusively,” Jumin interrupted. “You're the one who's always yelling at me. I've been frustrated by your objections, is all.”

“My objections? To what?”

Zen spoke angrily, having took immediate offense. You realized that it was a hostility Zen was immensely used to holding in regard to Jumin, but his words had no real bite. He was trying not to assume, but perhaps judging Jumins motives immediately was a hard habit to break so quickly.

“To my offers to help you. I've been trying to help you with your acting career since we first met, have I not? I can't quite understand why you're so set on hating me, and rejecting my interests in assisting you. It is...frustrating, at the very least.”

Jumins words were surprisingly gentle in comparison to Zen fiery ones. You were acutely aware that this entire conversation was starting to turn to things you didn't know of, personal things, and you suddenly felt as if you shouldn't be hearing any of it.

Zen's next words were much more somber, he almost sounded sad. “I didn't think you actually wanted to...I'm sorry, I guess you wouldn't have any idea why I've acted like this, would you? I never really explained."

“Um, I think I'll go now. Sorry for bothering you two, bye. ”

You spoke a little too loudly, wincing at your own interception before quickly hanging up. Maybe you should have just hung up without saying anything? Well, their conversation had turned so serious you were sure they probably didn't pay it any mind.

Even though you'd hardly gotten to talk to Zen at all, what you had happened upon had made you feel much better. You weren't aware of even half of the story behind Zen and Jumins discourse, you were sure, but it had actually made you feel better. It was a reminder, in a weird way, that even people that were made to be together didn't always start out on good terms. People were human, with human flaw and fault, and just because Seven was shutting you out and being invasive didn't mean things were meant to stay static. Not that he was _your_ soulmate or anything, so maybe connecting the problem you were having with Seven to Zen and Jumins conflicts was a bit of a stretch. But he was still a person you cared about, and people that care for one another are willing to be there for each other, to try and help them work it out. Sure, you hadn't known him very long, but if nothing else you were certain he was a good person and a great friend. It was a bit of a leap to associate the feelings of a more intimate warmth you still have for your soulmate with him, so you wouldn't make that hopeful guess, for your own sake. What you would do was be patient with him, and try and work through that shell of his.

Sooner than later, hopefully, you would build up the courage to actually confront him in his avoidance. It was a little hard to not be fearful of how he may react, possibly trying to push you away as you worried, but it was something you were going to try and overcome.

The brisk air you'd been seeking suddenly felt too cold, and you hurried your way back inside the apartment. Now that you weren't so overwhelmed by your worry, exhaustion started to creep onto you, clinging to your limbs and weighing on your eyelids.

You headed to the main room once more, grabbing your phone from the desk and plopping down onto the couch with it in hand. Staring idly over the messages of your earlier conversation with 707 on the messenger app, you noticed that he had messaged you again, and recently too. Scrolling to the bottom of the feed, you looked over the messages.

**707: MC, where are you going so late???**

**707: it's very late, and it is dangerous to leave the apartment anyways with the hacker that sent you there on the loose!!(｀_´)ゞ**

**707: Wait. Did you leave your phone there??? MC…**

**707: Oh good you're back. I guess you aren't reading this so, I'll stop bugging you for now( ✌︎'ω')✌︎**

**707: just please try and be a little safer…**

For a moment you stilled in surprise, wondering how he could have known of your absence, until you remembered him briefly mentioning a CCTV feed he had access to in the hallway. It was sort of endearing, that he was worried, even if he was being a little weird recently. You had to make a conscious effort again to not connect your more-than-platontic feelings for your soulmate with him, but you managed. Maybe you should take his worries to heart, beings how the very thought of said mystery hacker rose a chill up your spine still.

After a while you exited out of the messages, about to sleep, when you realized a chat room had opened up when you'd been outside that you must have missed. Seeing that the only two participants were 707 and V, your curiosity was sparked further, and you opened the old log to investigate. It looked like they had been discussing the official date of the RFA party, the decided time alarmingly close, only a week from now. They'd also spoken briefly of a trip V was planning to take and a bug detector Seven had installed in the RFA Leaders phone. Something about that made you feel uneasy, only reminding you of Unknown.

Just as you were about to close the app, wanting to rest before you could be filled with even further unease, a strange noise sounded from your phone, more messages being sent in the chat log. They were from Unknown, as if he had been reading your thoughts, the messages a mixture of letters, symbols, and underscores that made no sense to you. Until his last string of brief, disturbing messages that made you shiver and close the app as quickly as possible. There was no way you could get any rest now, with the image of those words stuck in your head.

**Unknown: I am**

**Unknown: going to**

**Unknown: corrupt you**  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments really are the backbone of this fic believe it or not I love all the feedback and your words inspire me!! 
> 
> Also my tumblr is 'iizaya' idk if I've mentioned that in this fic yet but sometimes I talk about my writing on there and yeah
> 
> Saeran: how am I gonna get her  
> Saeran:  
> Saeran: cryptic shit


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo first things first! Remember that scene with Zen and Jumin on the phone from last time? Well, here you go, I wrote this too so please go give it a read and let me know what you think there: [a whole chapter about how that went down](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11667375)
> 
> Good/Bad news...good news: I got a job, yay!! Bad news: it's a full time job of bussing tables, and I gotta walk home every night for an hour and a half, so I'll be exhausted a LOT of the time. No more job searching, but idk how consistent I can be with writing when I'm that wiped out. I'll try though!!
> 
> HEADS UP: things start to diverge here, more so than last chapter. Seven may seem more open than he is with MC in game but it's cause he basically knows she's his soulmate and they kinda grew up together in a way? So they aren't complete strangers. Things will go different in a lot of ways from here on out, and be similar in other ways!
> 
> **ALSO!!!! Watch out!!! This chapter is a little rough, I hope I was at least a little Kind here but I can't tell lol. Heads up for sort-of suicide mentions and some possibly upsetting things. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think, and please read the zen Jumin fic, it's where half of my writing energy went since I wrote like 6000 words total which I'm so not used to!
> 
> <3333

You were long past the point of trying to be courteous of the time, and after five uncomfortably paranoid minutes of attempting to rest, you were pacing the around the apartments little kitchen as you waited for Seven to answer the phone. You had ignored the strangeness of Unknown the last time, hadn't even told the RFA of the first strange message he'd sent, and that had been foolish.

Your phone went to Sevens answering machine _again_ , so you redialed. He almost never answered his phone, but he was the person who would know the most about this, there was no way you were leaving a voice message. One person could only hold so much patience, and while you had tried your best to keep it up, you were starting to get frustrated. You were in a situation where you were putting your safety and trust into these people, and yet Seven couldn't even answer? He was on the RFA server minutes before this happened, there was no way he was sound asleep, and the phone wasn't going to voicemail immediately so it wasn't off.

After another solid ten minutes of walking circles and trying to stay calm(which, surprisingly, wasn't too hard to maintain externally. It was your thoughts that wouldn't slow down) Seven finally picked up.

“MC? What is it?”

You were expecting irritation on his part, which would probably anger you at this point, but you didn't get it. If anything he sounded out of breath, concern lacing his words.

“It's Unknown, I was reading the chat logs between you and V tonight, and the whole client glitched out. He sent a bunch of weird messages, and at the end he said ‘I'm going to corrupt you.’”

It all came out in this quick, calm breath that you weren't really feeling at all. The long stretch of silence that was probably only really a couple of seconds didn't help either.

“I need you to carefully explain to me what this ‘glitch out’ entailed, along with any other messages he may have sent. Also, under no circumstances can you leave the building, or even the apartment itself.”

The stiff and professional way he was talking to you almost would have helped settle your nerves, except for the fact that there was this angry strain to his voice that he was trying very hard to repress. It was as if something you had told him just now was completely infuriating, but there was little to no time to comment on it. And then something else caught your interest.

“I can't leave, even after this?”

“You must understand why. This hacker clearly knows of your location, and we already know he's more than capable of breaking in. He hacked the client, but he also hacked the security system at the apartment you're in tonight. It's very likely that if you tried to leave, he would intercept you. You must stay there.”

The strained anger in his voice seemed even more evident. But if you were to stay here and Unknown _did_  come after you, he would likely be armed, and you would have very little chance of fending him off.

“So that's why you weren't answering, he had hacked the security? I understand the dangers of leaving but if I just stay here, completely unprotected, I'm more or less a sitting duck!”

“You can't leave!” Seven nearly shouted it, and it caught you so off guard you jumped a little.

“...He said he was coming for me.”

You tried, somehow still capable of keeping your voice level. You really hadn't wanted to tell Seven this, you weren't sure why. Maybe because you had been irrational and held onto it for far too long, when you really should have told him from day one. The moment you had received the message, it should have been relayed.

“...What?” His voice was quiet and in stark contrast to his emotional outburst just moments before.

“Unknown. When I first got here, he sent me a message saying that he was coming for me, to ‘have fun with everyone’ and that he'd ‘come and get me soon’. You can see why I don't want to just sit around here and wait for something to happen now, can't you?”

“Don't leave the apartment.” His voice was a strange mix of that cold anger again.

“But I...Seven?”

Faintly, you could make out the sound of footsteps, metal clinking together, things being moved around, a car door slamming shut—

“I'm coming over there. I'll stay with you, to make sure you're safe.”

“Oh.” The calm of your voice chose to fail you now, the simple word coming out like that of a meek mouse.

Seven was coming over here. You weren't really sure if that made you feel any better, with how weird he had been acting lately. After a quick glance over the eerie quiet of the apartment once more, you decided it would make you feel better.

He had already hung up, so you let your hand slip away from your face. You placed your phone on the kitchen counter, and stared mindlessly at nothing for a moment. Seven was acting off, had been since you tried to talk to the RFA about soulmates, and he tried to play it off but you weren't convinced. Something was wrong, and of course he wouldn't tell you, but you weren't really sure he would even tell the other RFA members if something was truly bothering him. No, he was secretive, closed off, and he tried to act like he wasn't, no one else seemed to pay it enough mind to notice, or to even really _care_.

Maybe it was his work. It would make sense, from what you knew of his job it would make total sense for him to have to keep his distance with others, stand as if he had many when really he was alone, because if they asked it of him he'd have to cut ties, change names, leave no trace—

You were trying to push the thought away, you were, but it just kept coming back. _It made sense_. You didn't even know his name, Luciel wasn't it, you weren't buying that for a single second. But still, it just made sense, because _he_  had cut ties with you and someone like Seven would have had to do the same. It even felt reassuring, knowing that maybe your soulmate stopped speaking to you out of necessity instead of choice. You would even admit to longing for that, because you could forgive that, you could understand it more than someone just leaving for no real reason.

And if you were allowing yourself to think of it, he did act like the boy you'd written messages to along your wrist in childhood, yet somehow that child was more subdued. Sometimes Seven would feel reminiscent of that, and at other times he'd seem to be playing up his own oddities, to the point of intentional comedic effect.

It could very well just be that Saeyoung and Seven were different people, but if they weren't...If they weren't, then maybe Seven was playing up his traits intentionally, to characterize himself. If he had anything to hide, it would be harder to believe, and if he acted like someone out of an anime all the time, it might be easier for people to let him go. After all, someone who seemed more like a character, eccentric as it was, than a person who people could get close to really could be _forgettable_.

You really didn't like the thought of him doing that. At very least him distancing himself couldn't be far off. Honestly, it felt like you could put all his pieces together, like a puzzle, no matter how hard he tried to hide them.

Or maybe you were being a little too hopeful, maybe you weren't right at all and this was just silly.

The door to the apartment clicked open and closed, and you were suddenly nervous at Sevens arrival, as if he could hear what you were thinking. He appeared in the doorway, large duffle bags in hand, likely filled with computer equipment.

Your first thought was on his appearance. You wanted to say he was cute, which he was, a much clearer image than grainy CTV shots. He had all the aesthetic to pull off a mischievous, boyish charm, but that wasn't what concerned you at the moment. He looked like that strange cold-fire anger he'd had on the phone when you suggested leaving was still boiling under the surface. (Seriously, why was he so upset?) And there were heavy dark circles under this eyes. You felt a tiny pang of sadness at the realization that they were probably always there, that he likely always felt and looked this exhausted, never had the time for sleep.

“You didn't go out, did you?” His voice sounded hoarse, as if he had been shouting at someone before he came here. Maybe from the phone call?

He glanced only briefly at you, and then he was looking at anything in the room but you, avoiding you with his eyes.

“No, I've just been in here.”

Obviously, you weren't going to tell him of what you'd just been thinking. That was bound to be a bad idea, most of all when he still seemed so upset.

Nodding stiffly, he spoke a quiet, strained “alright” and turned away, heading in the direction of the living room.

Was it just you, or did he seem to be acting even stranger now that you were meeting him in person? You waited a few minutes before following after him, finding him sat on the couch, setting up his equipment. You realized that the couch you'd been sleeping on wouldn't be an option when you did decide to rest, that you'd instead have to sleep somewhat awkwardly on the bed in the corner of the room.

Not only did the thought of sleeping in the corner while Seven no doubt stayed wide awake feel weird, but so did the prospect of sleeping in a dead person's bed. Seven had already finished setting everything up, to your mild surprise, and was typing frantically away at the keyboard, the couch now in complete disarray.

You wanted to ask more of what was going on, get a better grip on the situation for yourself, but he seemed so volatile, liable to go off in an instant.

“So…” You tried hesitantly, not wanting to say much more.

“He hacked into the security system here, like I said. If I hadn't noticed when I did…” He trailed off for a moment, his fingers pausing on the keys.

“It would have been very unsafe here for you. But I know I can fix it, and I doubt he thinks I would have noticed this quickly. In fact, I might not have noticed until it was too late if you hadn't called. I checked up on everything because of your missed calls, otherwise I would have been too busy dealing with Vanderwood to have caught it right away.”

He laughed bitterly, and the sound was full of self loathing. Your heart ached a bit at that.

“Well still, I'm glad you came. Thank you for fixing the security as well, it certainly puts my mind at ease…” You spoke quietly, timidly, the whole energy of the room tense.

“You shouldn't be,” his hands were clenched into fists against the laptop now, words gritted. “If you hadn't told me about...what he said, then I wouldn't have known what he was planning, not soon enough.”

You frowned. “And what is that?”

“He's going to try and break into the apartment. When I can't be sure, but it's going to be soon. The security here is highly dangerous, he needed to hack into the system in order to do so safely. Not only that, but he was probably going to try and use the security system as a weapon against you. How could he even have known…”

“Seven, just how dangerous is this security, that he could harm me with it?”

This time your voice was bolder, foregoing any shyness the situation had created in favor of asking about your safety.

The angry tenseness of his frame released all at once, his shoulder and fingers slack. The guilt in his eyes was palpable.

“There's no point in trying to hide it from you, you deserve to know anyway. It's a bomb, MC. That's what's protecting this apartment.”

That eerie sort of calm that always filled you and allowed you to rationalize in times like this washed over you again. Still, it took a good few seconds to process such a startling answer.

“A bomb? It hardly sounds as if it's effective to use explosives to protect people.”

He seemed both relieved and expectant of your reaction, like he knew you weren't the kind of person to panic in dire situations. Perhaps you had already proven that over the phone. The guilt still lingered in his eyes.

“It wasn't implemented to protect people. Rika hardly ever came here, I wouldn't even say she had truly lived here. Before she passed, she asked me to implement a bomb in this apartment as security. It was to protect the information inside.”

“Do you know what that information is?”

“Not really, no. I'd always just assumed it was information regarding the RFA parties and nothing more, but..” Seven ran a hand through his hair, sighing, “I'm not so sure anymore, this feels wrong somehow. I'm sure there are people who wanted that information, but who could have known about the bomb? Only V and Rika ever knew, it's strange.”

He seemed truly puzzled, and you could tell he didn't like not knowing anything for certain. You smiled a bit at the thought, sitting carefully down on the couch beside him.

“I'm sure you'll figure it out. But you have to finish fixing the security system before he can do anything else right now, right?”

“Yeah, that's the first priority.” He smiled faintly, and you could tell it was an effort, that he was trying too late to seem alright.

You didn't say anything further, just sort of curled up next to him on the couch and watched as he set back into his work. And he let you, didn't object it and didn't comment on it, focused as he was. After a while your eyes began scanning the mess of objects he'd left surrounding the couch, your eye catching on something.

“What's this?”

“Hm?” He turned to you, missing what you said, eyes focusing in on the object in your hands. “Ah, it's just a little project I was working on. It breathes fire, talks, some other things.”

And then his frame was turned back to the screen, attention no longer on the robot cat, hands flying nimbly across the keyboard. “I made it for...well. I guess I had gotten distracted from work and decided to make it.”

He left it at that, and you sat thinking over everything before exhaustion washed over you again. Stretching, you stood and decided to shower before attempting and awkward rest across the room. There were a couple of drawers of clothes in the bathroom, tags still attached, and you felt strange wearing them, but at least they were new and not used.

Grabbing a towel from the hall, you headed to the shower, small smile on your lips. You felt as if you were finally starting to get through to Seven, even if it was just a bit.

You turned the water to hot, steam starting to coil into the air, and slipped out of your clothes. The water hit your skin as you stepped in, warm and inviting, and for a moment you thought that's what it was. You wet your hair, running your fingers through the strands, and then you realized it, it'd been so long you didn't distinguish the feeling at first.

Jerking your arm away from your face, you stared disbelievingly at the pale skin of your inner wrist. After all these years, the warm sparkling letters marked your wrist again, in a single word.

_Goodbye_

‘Goodbye’? What did he mean by that, after all these years, why would anyone start with that instead of a greeting? Unless, could he be…?

Panic filled your entire frame, and this time the calm didn't wash over you. Your fingers scrubbed furiously at your skin, tearing swelling in your eyes as you wrote what felt like a million messages in return.

_No please don't do this_

_I know this sounds weird but I'd miss you, I would_

_Please_

_Please don't go_

_Please please p_ le 

It was the only thing that made sense, right? Saeyoung hadn't talked to you since you were still children, mid teens, why else would someone who cut you out of their life just say that out of the blue? Unless he was planning on killing himself? Your hands shook too much for you to write anything more, and you hated it, what if he needed you to, what if that wasn't enough? You slipped down the tiles of the shower, sitting limp in the tub as sobs wracked your frame and the water turned cold. He could be anywhere, you couldn't even help him, you just had to sit and wait for the burn of his passing, and you didn't want that.

You were about to try writing again after a long moment of nothing but cold from the running water, when the door handle rattled. The sound of Seven pounding on it when he found it locked made you jump. He'd probably heard you crying, but you were too upset to worry over it.

“MC? MC?!” He was shouting.

He sounded frantic, panicked; like a kid who'd dropped and accidentally broken something.

Your mind was too muddled to try and figure out why.

“I-I'm,” your voice quivered, sounded like broken glass. You tried again. “I'm busy right n-now.”

“I'm sorry,” he wasn't shouting anymore but his voice sounded brittle, like he might cry too. “I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean to…”

“Why are you sorry.”

It just didn't make sense. You thought it did, but it didn't anymore. What was he talking about? Why weren't you being burned yet?

“I did it. But I didn't mean it like that, damn it, I shouldn't have…”

A loud bang, something against the other side of the wall. You think he might have hit it. That he might be mad at himself.

“Seven, what are you talking about?” You croaked.

You thought it made sense. It didn't. It shouldn't. What was he talking about.

“I'm Saeyoung,” his throat sounded raw now. “I'm your soulmate.”

“I know.” Because you did, didn't you? It made sense, you'd said so yourself.

It was all you could manage, and you weren't sure how he heard it over the water because it sounded like a whisper to you, but he did. You heard him slip down the length of the door, knew he was sitting on the floor in the hall, a litany of apologies pouring from his mouth. His voice cracked.

You were still crying, and you weren't really sure why. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I basically love MC she's so good and pure what the hell we don't deserve her???
> 
> I was listening to 'oceans' by seafret last chapter and 'slow down' by twiceyoung for this one non-stop and personally I think that explains everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Yes, I know I said it might be a while before I can update, since I start work tomorrow, but I spent my last two days of freedom rushing to get this out to everyone, so NOW I might be awhile in updating(I'll try and write whenever I'm not totally tired, I promise) but here's a little extra until then!! Much happier and fluffier because that's my favorite and I felt guilty from last chapter :')
> 
> Also if you wanna know exactly how I envision MCs hair drying naturally I got a spot on pic [that's at the top of this page](http://hairstyleshowto.com/curled-ends-2/) I mean you prob don't care but yeah haha
> 
> Soooo let me know what you think, cause I love everyone's feedback oh my word??? And I'll try and be back at it when I can be <3333

Eventually you stopped crying, stopped shaking. You had turned off the water a long while before that, and now you were just sort of sitting bone dry in the bathtub and it felt weird. You hadn't heard Seven get up from his side of the door. He had said sorry until his voice was raspy and quiet, until he was losing it from overuse. You'd told him a small ‘it's okay, no more. I need to think.’

You didn't say that you needed the silence, didn't say that hearing him run himself ragged only made you feel worse; that you knew it wasn't making him feel any better either. He understood, had gone silent. It felt like it had been a long time ago, and you wondered if he had left. He did have other important things to do, after all, and you weren't really sure how far along he'd gotten with everything before this happened.

“Saeyoung?” You asked hesitantly, voice loud in the quiet.

Seven felt right too, a name you'd probably still call him by, if he wanted it. But there was a nagging sort of need to call him by what you knew he truly was now, even if he wouldn't hear it. Even if it made you feel a little silly, like you were stating the obvious.

“I'm here.” His voice was still worn, but it was a little louder now.

You felt a ghost warmth along your wrist, like slender fingers ghosting along your skin, brushing against your pulse. You shivered at the feeling, looking at your skin but seeing nothing as the cause.

“Are you…touching your wrist?”

“Yeah. I'm not writing anything, I swear. I won't again if you don't want me to, not ever. I'm—”

“Don't say sorry,” you spoke abruptly. You knew he wanted to, but you also knew you couldn't stand to hear it again. “It's just that I think I can feel it. Your fingers.”

Despite yourself, you skin grew warm. That sounded so weird, even your exhausted haze couldn't stop your cheeks from growing flush.

“You can?” A bit of childlike wonder filled his voice for a moment, before he quickly caught it. “I can stop. I didn't even know…”

“That we could do that?” You sounded bitter, tired, you didn't mean to, but you did anyways. “Yeah, me either.”

It was probably pathetic how little you knew about the connection between soulmates, how little Seven was bound to know too. Only the basics, the most two adolescents would have ever discovered in your circumstances. Maybe you could ask someone. Jaehee might know, or Zen. He just realized Jumin was his soulmate, but you were certain he was the type to have looked that kind of thing up, to have read articles about it. You hadn't really ever considered it, funnily enough.

There was a nagging curiosity in your head, because of course you'd touched your own skin, of course he'd done the same. Yet that'd never happened before, so what was different? The intent, what he was thinking when he did it? But you pushed it aside, it hadn't felt bad, no, it was really _nice_  if anything. There were other things to take care of right now though, and it could wait.

He hadn't said anything after that, so you spoke instead.

“It's fine, but I'm going to shower now.”

“You can stay.” You added quickly, knowing he would ask, that he was so afraid of hurting you any further.

“Okay.”

You stood, using the wall to help you up as you gained your balance, turned the water on. It was luke warm for a blissful minute, before nothing but ice water was running down the drain again. You lathered your hair, scrubbed your body with soap. Hating cold showers made it hard to take your time, and soon you were turning off the faucet.

When you looked in the mirror, your eyes were puffy and red, so you looked away as you brushed your hair, your teeth, turned around completely when you put on the stiff new clothes. Ripping the tags off and throwing them in the trash bin, you laid your damp towel on the floor by the door and sat.

You were upset, felt hurt, but he'd been saying he didn't mean to imply he was committing suicide. You wanted to know what he'd meant, to understand. Not to shut him out over hurt feelings. There was clearly some strong hate he held for himself, and contributing to it was the last thing you wanted. You wanted to understand, and you wanted him to understand. Anger wasn't what you were feeling; you felt tired, sad, hurt, confused, hopeful; but not angry.

“Hey,” you murmured, head resting on the wall, lips by the crack of the door.

“Hey.” He breathed back, and you could almost swear you felt his breath from the other side of the doorway.

“Why did you write that?”

“I wanted to know if you were my soulmate, but I didn't want to ask. I thought I'd made the right choice, breaking ties with you. While it was something I had to do regardless, I was sure you'd be better off without me, yet I was still so curious. You felt like _her_ ,” his voice rose above his near whisper, filled with feeling.

“Well, I guess you _are_  her, aren't you? I should have let it go, but I figured even if it turned out to be you, I shouldn't involve you with my mess of a life any more than necessary. You deserve better, so I..” he trailed off.

“So you what?” You prompted. There was a lump in your throat.

So he scared you half to death? What else could he have meant?

“I told you goodbye, because I never did before,” his voice was nothing more than a whisper again, used as it was. “I never told you goodbye back then. I just thought it'd make sense, I didn't think about it enough. I didn't mean to hurt you.”

You made a strangled sort of cry in the back of your throat, and your eyes were stinging and your cheeks were wet again.

He shifted on the other side of the door, and you were right there so of course he heard you crying again. “Shit. Did I say something?”

“No,” you paused, scrubbing the tears off with the too long sleeve of your sleep shirt. Pointlessly, it seemed, because more just took their place. “Well, yes, but it wasn't bad.”

“But you're crying?”

“Because I was worried that you were some sort of sick freak that got off on making me hurt or something, saying something like that! But it turns out you're just really bad at noticing how things sound out of context. I'm just happy, that that's what it is instead.” You laughed, and it sounded watery and off pitch.

His throat was worse for wear, but he was laughing with you too now, completely relieved.

It had hurt you, upset you, definitely. But it was in the end one of the biggest misunderstandings of your life. Which was good, because you could forgive this, could move on from it. It was still crummy that he couldn't have just asked you, but you understood why he didn't want to. Although you didn't like the whole ‘I don't deserve you’ mindset he was taking on one bit, it must be because of something he burdened himself with. A wound that could be healed, that would be mended if you had any say in it.

If it had turned out that he really had tried to fake his own death to get some sort of rise out of you, this would be ending much differently. With a lot less forgiveness and understanding and a lot more of ‘I can't believe what a terrible person you are, how could you do that, go ahead and stay out of my life.’

The silence that had built up between you was far more comfortable now, the tension dissipating slowly. Your hair had begun drying in long chocolate brown strands, curling at the tips.

“You could have just picked the lock, huh?”

There was a pause, as if he was trying to pretend to think about it, when you both already knew the answer. He wasn't nearly as slick as he thought he was.

“Yeah.”

“Why didn't you?”

“You were naked?” He sputtered out, surprised.

And then, after another briefer pause, “...Did you want me to?”

Seven sounded so incredulous, so completely confused, that you laughed again. You weren't crying anymore, and it sounded bright and warm this time.

“Not when I was crying in the shower, nooo.” You giggled, “but I wouldn't mind it so much now.”

You stood, taking the towel and tossing it into a hamper by the sink, waiting.

“You'd rather me pick the lock, when you can just open the door?”

His raised eyebrows and bewildered frown were practically audible. You could just tell they were there.

“Yes?” You chimed back, mimicked his confusion, hoping you were helping to brighten the mood. Instead of just being kind of weird, that is.

Seven picked up on this rather quickly, it seemed. You took a step back from the door and you could hear him rushing to his feet, could imagine him rummaging his pockets, and then you were hearing the door handle shimmy.

A moment later he was swinging it open, a triumphant grin in place as he waggled a bobby pin in hand. You didn't ask, but you knew you didn't need to, so you took those last few steps and wrapped your arms around him, pressing your body against the warmth of his. There was surprised intake of air on his part as you nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, and then he had his arms around your waist.

He laughed awkwardly, and you smiled against his skin.

“Saeyoung?” You mumbled.

You hoped he didn't think you hugging him for this long was awkward or anything, because after all this time it felt nice to actually do so.

“Hmmm?” His breath warmed your scalp, as if his lips were just ghosting your hair. Maybe they were.

“Why a bobby pin?”

“I need them to help keep my hair back sometimes, for wigs.”

“Like when you dressed up as Madam Vanderwood?”

“Exactly,” he laughed, “It's funny though, he's not even a girl? Or my maid? He's just another agent from where I work, always nagging me to get this done, answer this client; ‘your house is a mess you pig, don't make me clean it!’”

You were giggling into his jacket at his squawking impression of Vanderwood, and his hands had finally found the courage to rub soothing little circles into the small of your back.

“You make a very pretty maid, regardless, I'd say.”

“Mhmm, I know, right?! At least you understand~”

You were both laughing now, your shared laughter shaking each other's frames, held between the two of you; a fuzzy, happy warmth cradled by your bodies. After you'd both caught your breath, you spoke, quietly:

“Seven?”

“Yes?”

You pulled back slightly, enough so that you could look at him directly, place a hand on his cheek. Looking up into his eyes, you tried to steal your expression as one of seriousness, determination. Knew the tenderness would still be in your eyes.

“I don't want you to push me away because you think you aren't good enough. That's not true, you're more than good enough, far more. I understand the nature of your job, but I still don't want to lose you, in any way, either.”

Sevens thumbs stopped rubbing circles on your skin, his form went rigid. But he was still looking down at you, still holding you, he hadn't bolted. That was progress to you.

His face was twisted in confliction, his voice strained. “MC…”

“I know you may not agree right now, that's okay. But I mean it. I don't wanna lose you, and I'll never think of you as inadequate. I don't want to fight with you on it right now either, because I'm tired and you have to do computer stuff, but I wanted you to know that.”

You didn't really want to, but you pulled yourself out of his arms and headed to the main room, plopping down on the unused bed. You had left your phone on the couch by Seven earlier, but you didn't really need it. Sorting through and answering possible RFA guests didn't really take that long, and you'd finished it awhile ago.

Honestly, you were just really tired. The second your head had hit the bed, your eyes were starting to droop.

But still, you wondered. You had been worried to speak your mind to Saeyoung back there, for fear of him shutting you out. He hadn't. Probably he realized that it was sort of a trivial effort, since you had at least a decent understanding of most of his childhood, and that was sure to be what he wanted to hide most. Yet even then, he was hesitant, after all that? He clearly didn't _want_ you to like him, or he did, but he was super conflicted about it. Because he was still convinced that he was no good, which sort of made you mad, since he was totally amazing. Of course he had his flaws, but he was human. He shouldn't be beating himself down so much over them, it wasn't healthy.

Well, there was a lot of work to be done there. You were going to try your hardest to make sure you were there to help him through it. Sure he was stubborn, but you were too.

Speaking of, he had come back in a few minutes ago, you heard him sit down, start typing again, and felt his eyes on your back as he glanced at you.

“Hey,” you mumbled tiredly.

“Yeah?” The click of the keys stopped.

“I get what you were trying to do,” you yawned. “With the goodbye. But that still would have upset me on its own. It sort of did really.”

The fact that he didn't even _see_ it the way you had, that him never properly saying goodbye was something that had nagged at him for years? Enough so that he had thought you'd know what he meant? It had a strange effect; made your skin feel tingly and numb, like your whole body had fallen asleep. You weren't really sure what to make of it.

“It did?”

And he sounded sort of scared again, panicked, if only a bit. He didn't want to hurt you. You understood that.

“It did, yeah. Just cause I don't want you to push me away or anything. It hurts to know that even after all this you'd still want to do that.”

“That's only because—”

“Because you're not good enough, because you don't deserve me? Nuh-uh, no way Mister, scrap that. It's not true and I'm going to prove it to you.”

“Look,” he sighed exasperatedly. “I just don't want to hurt you. We've hardly been within the same vicinity six hours and I already _have_.”

“It's normal for people to hurt each other, even When they care about each other. Not on purpose of course, but people are flawed, they make mistakes, even with their loved ones. What's not normal is to push it away and ignore it. It needs to be addressed, to be learned from. Some wounds won't truly heal if you don't tend to them.”

He went silent at that. It made sense that he wouldn't know what to say to something like that. It was fine. You figured he probably wasn't used to having conversations like this, and it was okay. You were a patient person.

“I'm not giving up on you, Saeyoung. I refuse. So don't push me away.”

You couldn't keep your eyes open any longer, you were too tired, they were closing. Just as you were drifting off, you heard him speak, and you were certain it wasn't a dream.

“I'll try not to.”

————

You weren't sure what time it was when you awoke, but whatever sleep schedule you'd clung onto before this whole thing happened was definitely ruined. Standing groggily, you made your way to the hall, ignoring Seven for the time being, who was still glued to the computer.

After eating breakfast, and brushing your teeth and hair, you made your way back to the living room. Balancing two glasses of water and a bowl of fruit in your arms, of course. You sat down next to him, carefully placing one of your glasses of water between your legs, and handing the other one to him.

He didn't look at you for a moment, so preoccupied he actually just grabbed the glass with a muttered ‘thanks’, and kept typing with one hand. You counted the seconds it took him to actually look away from the screen, thirty six, and when he looked at you you saw that his eyes were completely bloodshot.

You raised an eyebrow at him, glancing down at the glass and then back at him. He took the hint, albeit with an unnecessary roll of his eyes(there was an upward quirk to his lips that forgave it a little), and downed the whole glass at once.

He turned away to place the cup on the coffee table, and you picked up the bowl you'd rested on the arm of the couch, facing him again.

“When did you last eat?” You inquired.

“I'm fine, MC.” He shot back, already typing away again.

He sounded exhausted. Who knew when he last ate? That could have been his first glass of water in last 24 hours for all you knew; he took horrible care of himself.

“C’mon now,” you sing-songed, grabbing the fork and stabbing a piece of melon, waving it at him. “open wide~”

That finally got Seven to look at you again. You weren't sure what expression you were wearing, but it made his eyes widen in surprise. He visibly swallowed, his cheeks just barely tinted, and he pushed up his glasses so that he could rub at an eye with his palm.

“Ahhhh, MC, that's no fair,” he whined, “I'm trying to do something important here, and you're being so _cute_. Goooood.”

“I understand,” you nodded, a coy smile tugging at your lips, “but it will only take five minutes tops, I swear.”

“Were you really going to feed me?”

You laughed. “Did you really want me to?”

“Maybe? One bite?” He sounded like he was _pleading_.

So maybe you were blushing a little too. Okay, no big deal.

“Sure, I can do that.”

You directed the fork towards his mouth, and he opened it comically wide, making a loud ‘ahhhh’ sound as he took the bite. It was very hard to not laugh, but you were afraid it would make the fork shake around, so you managed.

Keeping his end of the deal, he took the bowl from you, picking away at the fruit quickly until it was gone. And when he returned to typing, there was a small little grin left on his lips.

“Fix the security system?”

“Yep.”

“What's this important thing you're working on then? Agency work?”

Seven snorted at that. “Vanderwood would love it if that was the case, but no. You slept through some chat rooms, since the client being hacked yesterday some of the other members received some strange emails, so I'm looking into that.”

“Hmm, you think it could have something to do with the hacker?”

“Yeah. It just feels a little weird, like there's something that's not being connected here…” He mused, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Maybe something in the apartment could help?”

His eyes shot over to you. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, you said you thought it was strange how the hacker even knew about the bomb, that only V and Rika ever knew, right? Maybe there's more information that was exclusive to them, like the information in this apartment, that connects the dots a little more?” You sounded uncertain in your own words now.

Was it really that much of a stretch?

“No, I..” he shook his head, “The thought maybe crossed my mind, but if that information links us to the hacker, than that may very well mean V and Rika could be connected to whoever did this.”

“Ah.”

It was silent. He trusted V, had held Rika to the same level of respect and belief. He didn't want to connect this to them, didn't want to betray the confidence he had in V. If this had really just happened, maybe it was best not to push it. But you could see it, that he had really thought about it too, even if he hadn't liked the idea of doubting V. That he knew it was a possibility…

“Well, it was just a thought.” You supplied quietly.

He turned to you, a small smile on his lips, as if he was about to reassure you; tell you it was fine, that he appreciated your words.

But instead there was a strange sound coming from outside, like something was on the other side of the wall, and it silenced any words he may have had for you. Had you both on alert, looking to the source of the sound.

And then the window shattered. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miiiiiinty fresh(should I be a little more serious about this???? Yeah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummmmm I'm really????? Sorry this took me so long guys??? I was not expecting restaurant work to be so much more than I could expect, especially when I've already been promoted from bussing tables to working on the line in the kitchen x.x it's tiring, but I still was at a bit of a stalemate when it came to this fic, so I'm sorry for the wait!! This one is only a little shorter than usual, as always please let me know what you guys think!! 
> 
> Also, if you enjoy my writing and like pokemon as well, I recently did a little one shot that's up on my account too?? Yeah. I'll try and be more on top of this fic though, just know it's not dead :')

It all happened so quickly. A moment later someone was stumbling through the glass, all pale skin, thin limbs and dark clothes. You were on your feet in the next instant. Seven was already across the room, tackling the intruder to the ground, and although you knew the field he worked in his speed still astonished you. Apparently it took the intruder by surprise too, because Seven had him pinned easily, a small object clattering from his hands.

You walked over and took the object in your hands, a small handheld push button. Your eyes widened in instant realization. “The bomb…”

The intruder had been struggling to get out of Sevens grip until now, but he had finally noticed what he had been missing. Your attention returned back to him and his startlingly red tinted mop of white hair, his piercing green eyes. 

“Give that back!”

He shouted it, shaking with anger. But just as quickly he seemed to come to the conclusion that the demand was pointless, head whipping back to glare at Seven fiercely.

“And you,” he seethed, “what are _you_ doing here?! There's no way you could have figured it out so quickly. I slipped past your notice, I beat you, you shouldn't be here!”

Even Seven reeled back a bit in surprise at his tone, although his grip remained resolute.

“Do I know you?” Seven spoke with quiet confusion, shaking his head a moment later. “No, it doesn't matter. MC, my phone is on the table. Use it to contact Jumin. Usually I would never disclose the location of this apartment, but I'll have to allow them at least the knowledge of the relative area so that we can take him into custody.”

You nodded quickly, grabbing his phone and scrolling quickly in search of Jumins contact, warily eyeing the man beneath him. His apparent rage seemed tenfold now, teeth and hands both clenched tightly as he tried struggling for freedom once more.

“No, you wouldn't know, would you? That's just like you, to not even recognize me and still ruin everything. You're taking everything from me again, it's not fair, this isn't right. Let me go. I hate you.”

Unknown nearly shrieked the words, and while Seven remained calm, he was studying the man again. The man who had begun chanting a shaky mantra.

“Let me go. I hate you. Let me go. I hate you. Let me go…”

You began typing out a message to Jumin, giving the address of the street a block down. This whole situation was uncomfortable, but you managed to keep your calm once again. For now anyway, because the energy this man was giving off was anything but calm.

And then something seemed to click. Sevens eyes widened in a shocked realization. Unknown began to struggle more freely, Seven having let his grip go slack for a brief moment, before he quickly remembered to reaffirm it. Unknowns eyes narrowed in disdain. You weren't sure yet what Seven had just picked up on, but it was clear that Unknown already knew.

There was a moment of deathly silence, and in it you came to the conclusion that these past ten adrenaline filled minutes were to be some of the most eventful and important in your life.

“Saeran…?” It came out broken, afraid. Like Seven wanted it to be the answer, but if it were to be the truth he'd be terrified.

You had never heard the name in your life, but you instantly knew who it must be.

“Your brother…” Your voice wouldn't reach above a whisper, but Saeran heard it anyway, angrily confused eyes shooting to you briefly.

“Don't call me that!” He growled. “You have no right! Not when you…I hate you! Get off me, you said you'd—you promised—you lied. Get off me, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”

“I didn't…Rika told me, she showed me pictures! She said she was taking care of you, that they'd save you, because…”

Seven swallowed visibly, and you were across the room but you could swear you saw tears in his eyes.

And how could anyone blame him? His brother he'd been separated from since childhood, and look at him: he was near skeletal, wild eyed and angrily delusioned. He was unwell, that much was painfully obvious, and to see someone you loved so broken down…

“Because I couldn't save you the way they could, not then. But look at you, what have they...V. Did V do this?” He sounded furious now, and he looked like he was trying not to grip his brothers wrists more tightly than necessary in his sudden rage.

“Shut up! You're lying...you left me, she said you did, she wouldn't lie to me, she wouldn't..” Saerans voice trembled.

“Who?” You didn't mean to voice the question, and you winced when Saerans eyes bored into you again.

“Shut up! This is your fault. This shouldn't be happening, it wasn't supposed to go like this at all!”

“Don't talk to her like that!” Seven raised his own voice, and it caught the attention of his brother once more.

“Why do you care? Don't tell me she's important to you somehow. That's a lie. No ones important to you, not for long. You just forget, you just _leave_ —”

“Enough! I didn't— I would have never left you if I had the choice. I thought I was doing the right thing, for both of us. I'm never making that mistake again.”

“You're lying, I don't believe you. How can I trust you? I can't. You left me. You left me with her!”

You were reminded of the vague messages scrawled across your skin years ago, words of fear regarding Saeyoungs mother.

Seven looked beyond frustration and hurt, like the whole ordeal was draining him. And it probably was, because it was his brother, and right now there was no getting through to him. Right now he despised him, and you remembered how dearly he held Saeran in his heart, you knew how much this must be killing him right now. But he couldn't get through to him. In this moment, the only voice of reason Saeran would hear was the one he'd been fed all the years Saeyoung was absent.

You didn't want to interject, to interrupt such a charged, important moment, but you knew you needed to.

“Jumin is here.”

Seven looked to you a bit sadly, picking up on your own hurt as well. Clearly he wanted to keep trying. Instead he nodded in silent understanding before hefting himself up, Saeran still tightly in hand.

Saeran, realizing what was about to happen, started his struggle anew, kicking and screaming as Seven dragged him towards the entrance. You trailed cautiously behind. It was obvious that he was malnourished, no doubt other ailments plagued him as well, so it was unlikely he'd escape Sevens grip on his short walk to the car. But still…

You couldn't stop thinking about those vibrant green eyes of his, even when his back was turned to you. There was no way they were natural, and it gave you an eerie chill similar to that of when you first arrived in this complex. What _happened_ to him?

There was a strong pang of sorrow in you as the question went unanswered in your head. You were sure Seven was worrying over the same things, even more so than you.

You scanned over the main room before you followed Seven the rest of the way out of the room, making sure you hadn't forgotten anything on the way out. You had a strangely knowing feeling that this would be your last night inside the apartment. Sevens computer equipment was splayed all across the room, but there was no doubt he would be coming back for it. The window was a mess, curtains tangled and half hanging off their holders, glass shattered everywhere, yet you knew that too would be fixed. The only real thing belonging to you was your phone, so you decided to stop dragging your feet. You wouldn't miss Rikas coffin of a home anyways.

The walk to the car was short, if not a bit awkward, with Seven dragging along what was more or less his captive brother. The three of you climbing into the back of the dark vehicle Jumin had brought, to find him in the passenger seat, with what looked like a bodyguard behind the wheel.

As you all got situated(Seven was stubbornly forcing a seatbelt around Saeren while he squirmed.) Jumin turned in his seat to greet you.

“Seven, MC,” he nodded politely in each of your directions, his eyes stopping on the defiant infiltrator squished between the two of you.

“And this is…?”

Oh. Right. You'd messaged Jumin before you'd figured out who Unknown really was.

Saeran was trying to both escape the car and glare daggers at Jumin, as opposed to answering him. He was failing miserably in each regard, aside from his stubborn silence. Seven sighed.

“Saeran.” He spoke curtly, clearly wanting to leave it at that.

Jumin raised an eyebrow. Clearly he knew even Seven wouldn't know some random home invader, hacker or not, by name. It wasn't sufficient enough of an answer.

“My brother.”

Both Jumins eyebrows shot up this time, but his deep grey eyes only gave away a mild dose of surprise. “Ah. I didn't know you had a brother.”

Seven laughed bitterly in response. “You weren't supposed to.”

Apparently even Jumin could feel how awkwardly tense this course of conversation was getting, because he changed the subject by swiftly grabbing something from the glove box.

“Perhaps these won't be necessary, then.” He murmured, the object swaying and glinting in his hands.

“Why do you own handcuffs…?” You questioned.

Jumin looked to you, a wry smile stretching his lips. He didn't answer you with anything other than that, and a moment later you were catching on, face heating noticeably.

“Oh.”

Wow. You really didn't want to think about that any further.

“They won't be. I want you to take us to the hospital instead. It's very clear Saeran needs medical attention, and I don't want to turn my brother in for something he was brainwashed into doing.” Seven spoke, finally getting Saeran to resign into his seat for now.

There was a moment of silence that was only broken by Jumins quiet nod towards the driver and the ignition starting as they began to make their departure.

Clearly many things were left unexplained, but it was obvious that now was not the time to speak of them. You wanted to be able to look at Seven, hold him, comfort him as best you could in such a situation, but there was no way you'd be capable of doing so with Saeran between you. You settled for leaning into the door of the car while you made your way to the hospital in a stifling silence.

Once inside Seven pulled Jumin aside briefly whilst his bodyguard stayed with the two of you, and before Saeran was admitted he was searched, phone and anything else of similar use removed from his person. By the time they had the seething man laid in a bed, two more of Jumins bodyguards had joined the first.

Seven had returned by then, and he led you by hand out of the room once Jumin had returned with him. Before he even turned to you fully once more you could visibly see the burden and sadness that was weighing on him. He had taken you to the end of one of the pristine hospital hallways, one where the constant bustling company of other patients and employees was absent. It was just you two, and as soon as his feet stilled he was facing you. Wrapping an arm around your middle and using his other hand to run through your hair as his head fell onto your shoulder.

You weren't expecting something like that, not now, but you wanted so badly to ease a bit of the bitter sorrow he radiated, and so your arms wrapped around him in return easily.

“Seven…”

You started weakly, not entirely sure where to begin. There were plenty of things that had been unknown to you until you'd witnessed him and his brothers tension in the apartment, and many things still you probably weren't aware of. But you had to try. This whole situation was bizarre though, you'd never been through anything like it…

“It's fine, MC,” he mumbled into your neck, “You don't have to say anything.”

“Saeyoung..” you whispered the name so quietly you could hardly hear it yourself. “It's not fine, your brother, he's…”

Not fine. That sounded cruel somehow, and it made you afraid to voice the words.

“That's not what I meant. I know you want to help. There's nothing to say right now to make it okay, and it's not as if it's your fault.”

“I know.” You sighed.

“It's kind of strange, but part of me is glad. Not that...they did this to him. No, of course not. But that I found him, that I know.”

You hummed in agreement, rubbing slow circles into his back. “We can help him now. To get better. Looking at him…I'm not sure how much longer he would have lasted, living that way.”

His back tensed at your words, but he didn't pull away. He knew as well as you did, there was no point in beating around it, even if it was difficult.

“Even though it will be challenging—no. Challenging is an understatement. Even then. You'll stay? You're really willing to try and help him too?” He sounded in awe. Like he couldn't believe you would continue to give any more than you already had.

“Of course. I remember how dear he is to you. He's very important to me too then, you know.”

You felt him nod once. “Alright. I'll have to leave you with Jumin for a while though. It will only be a day or so, but it's unsafe for you to return to the apartment. It's better for you to stay in the hospital, Jumin would be more than willing to let you stay with him after visiting hours as well.”

Your chest tightened at that. The thought of being alone with Saeran, volatile as he was, made you nervous. “Where do you need to go?”

“I'm going to confirm what I'm mostly sure of. I'm almost certain V is behind this, but it's important to cut things off with the agency as well before I can do that. To leave my current work with them unfinished, well…”

He sighed, his whole frame sagging against you, he was the perfect image of exhaustion. “It would only make things more difficult.”

“Saeyoung.”

“Yes?”

“Don't go chasing after V on your own. Or whoever did this to your brother. I know I stand little chance in convincing you not to go at all, but if you...went by yourself, and something happened to you…”

Your voice trembled. You couldn't finish your sentence.

“MC, I need to make sure that whoever did this is stopped.”

“There's a better way than that. Please…”

He was quiet for so long you were almost certain he was going to stubbornly deny you this comfort.

“Alright. I won't, I'll contact Jumin once I know what's going on. He'll be able to handle the situation...in a safer way."

He pulled back from your embrace then, hand slipping from your hair to hold your cheek instead. You leaned into the touch, even when it made your stomach flutter, your cheeks warm. Seven rested your foreheads together, just pausing there, letting your breath mingle. He was hesitant.

Maybe it was still all new, and a little scary, but there was no real reason not to…

So you closed the distance between your lips. His were much softer than you thought they'd be, but you had little time to think on it, because you pulled away quickly. You let your lips rest just barely apart, not regretting the small parting kiss, but unsure as to whether or not it was truly wanted in the moment.

Slowly he pressed your lips together again, and it was a slow, tender kiss, your lips moving together the way two youths stumbled together on their first dance. You were sighing happily into it, his thumb rubbing gentle circles into your cheek.

When he finally pulled away he left your lips close together as you had before him while your breath evened out.

“The sooner I clear things up with the agency, the sooner I can get back here.”

“I know.” You didn't mean to sound sad, but you knew you did anyway.

“I'll be back soon MC.” He sounded like he was trying to reassure you with his words. He also sounded exhausted.

 You didn't want to worry him more, with everything else he had to deal with right now.

“Okay. I'll be here.”

You walked back together, pinkies linked lightly, until you'd reached the end of the hallway. You took a right towards Saerans room as he took a left towards the exit, and your hands separated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO ANYONE THATS STILL READING THIS!!!!  
> I know i have been soooooo bad guys!!! SEVEN MONTHS!! really theres no excuse, i moved again, found a new job, had a very bad experience with someone i thought to be a friend at a party, quit my new job and am moving AGAIN in a week. Life has been kicking my ass and i just sort of lost motivation to write this for a long time. Im really sorry.
> 
> You guys continuing to love and support this dragged me back into writing for now thank god haha, (i might even update my ml fic, but no promises) so thank you so much for that!! 
> 
> I really hope a lot of you are still reading and still enjoying, and if so please let me know what you think as always!! <3

The beeps of hospital machinery provided the only sound from the room. Well, except for the light tap of your foot against the tile. You were nervous, and it was a nervous habit. Jumin Han wasn't here today like he was the last few days and the days before you had just talked lightly with him, but he had work business to attend to and someone had to stay with Saeran.

Seven had already contacted you a few days in, explaining that he would be longer than expected, leaving the agency in the middle of his current work being more complicated than simply finishing it. You both had already missed the RFA party, and Jumin had begun speaking with Seven more and working towards figuring out the mystery of what happened to Saeran. It relieved you that Seven was keeping his word and asking Jumin for help in this, but you still wished you knew more. It would have to wait until he was finally back.

“Stop tapping your foot. It's annoying.”

The sound of Saerans voice was so unexpected that you jumped a little, your head snapping in his direction.

His voice was hoarse still from all the screaming he had done the day of his arrival and the days after. Eventually he just stopped...calmed down and seemed to realize after a number of escape attempts it was futile. There was a constant watch of Jumins guards and hospital personnel, so even Saeran gave up on the effort.

At least he was looking much better, even after just a few days. Already his face and limbs seemed fuller, the green of his eyes having dulled down to something more natural. It didn’t slip your notice that his temperament calmed as his eyes changed.

At any rate, your foot had stopped tapping automatically and Saeran had an eyebrow cocked up in question at you, frown still darkening his features.

“What?”

“N-nothing! I just, I'll stop. The foot tapping. Sorry.”

Oh god. It was so hard to talk to this guy. For what you thought were obvious reasons. He didn't seem to like you or anyone else very much, so it was surprising now that he was even trying to talk to you at all.

“What are you planning to do with me? Obviously you...won't let me go back. So what then, are you just going to leave me hooked up to a bunch of monitors until you're convinced I'm fixed? I'm not as poor off as you all seem to think I am. I'd be fine to return from where I can from if you just let me go. Not that my condition should even matter to any of you anyways.”

His voice had begun to fade out near the end. That was the most you'd heard him actually talk since he broke into the apartment. He must know that you wouldn’t let him return to the people who had done this to him, but there was an edge of desperacy to his voice.

“Saeran…” he visibly bristled at the name. “It wasn't healthy for you there…wherever that was, the condition you were in was very dangerous.”

His fists clenched around the sheets on his lap, his teeth gritting as he snapped his head away from you. Your heart ached a bit at the sight. He was hurting so much, had so much pain broiling under the surface that he tried to mask with anger, but it was obvious. He wanted people to care, maybe even wanted to be able to trust Saeyoung again, but he'd been hurt so much. He didn't want to let himself hope.

Even without your promise to Seven, you genuinely wanted to help this boy, to take care of him. It would most likely be a major uphill battle, but that was expected.

“Why do you even care?” He croaked. He still wouldn't look at you.

“Because you're worth caring about. I know I couldn't possibly understand what you've been through, but I want to be there for you. To help you heal and move on from it.”

He was looking at you again. Staring vacantly at you at first, until his express morphed into one of near angry confusion.

“Why? Don't you remember what I did to you? I tricked you, was ready to threaten your life and kidnap you—”

His voice escalated before breaking off, before he spoke again, soundly quietly pained. “How could you care about someone like that? I'm just a stranger to you.”

“You aren't. I mean, yes we've never before, but I've heard so much about you, through the eyes of someone who loves you, who only ever wanted...to protect you.”

Saerans expression had morphed into one of contemplative curiosity, and you realized you'd said too much. You and Seven hadn't discussed whether or not to tell Saeran of your relation yet, and it was obvious it hadn't been something he was focused on. But now…

Just then, Seven decided to contact you. You felt the warmth of his words on your skin, and the distraction made you look briefly to your newly decorated wrist. Realizing you were slipping up again, you glanced back up at Saeran, trying too late to cover your arm with the rolled up sleeves of your shirt.

And you were looking back at him in absolute terror, because you had literally no idea how he was going to react. He’d be so volatile those first two days, furious and desperate in his attempts to get out, lashing out at anyone that came near. Slowly his disposition began to change though, and an eerie sort of calm came over him. He looked defeated, his eyes full of a weird sort of shame and hopelessness that you couldn’t place. He’d never tell you anything, of course. When questioned his lips were completely sealed, although at times he looked as if he wanted to spill his guts to you, and then was disgusted at that very desire.

Basically, you had no idea how he was going to react to the information you’d accidentally provided him. The look on his face was telling you one thing at least. He’d definitely already pieced it together.

There were a flurry of emotions passing across Saerans face, shock, anger, jealousy, regret, sorrow. Your head was spinning at the sight of it.

“So that’s how you know him…” his voice was surprisingly soft, a solemn sort of understanding in his voice.

“How long ago?”

“Wh-what?” You blinked in surprise at the question, not entirely sure what he meant by it.

“How long ago did he leave you?”

“He didn’t…”

The resolute way in which he was looking at you suggested that he was already certain of this as a truth. You supposed that it was true, but still...

“When I was fifteen, when he left for the agency.”

You spoke in a low murmur, eyeing Saeran sadly. By this point whatever Saeyoung had written along your skin had long since faded, leaving you feeling cold.

“Then why do you defend him, support him? If he left you too? I don’t understand it…” He scowled, breaking your gaze and glaring down at his hands.

“Because he didn’t leave anyone behind by choice. Of course at first I was mad, confused, and for a long time I couldn’t understand it...He just stopped speaking to me one day, with a vague description as to why. Even then, after long enough I couldn't find it in me to be mad. Perhaps I’m too forgiving in that way,” You laughed shakily, breaking off for a moment with a deep breath.

Saeran was squinting up at you from his bed again, clearly upset and confused. But he didn’t appear to be...upset with _you_.

“I’m starting to think that’s the case, yes.” He mumbled at you, quietly urging you to continue.

“But I just thought...he must have a good reason, and if he didn’t, then he wasn’t someone I should want to associate with anyways. And when I finally met him by chance just this short while ago, it made sense to me. He joined an agency in order to attempt to give you both a better life, and he had to make the sacrifice of breaking off all ties, in order to not risk harming anyone.”

“No, no that’s not true..! He left me, and he left you too, but you still…” He looked at you first with a flash of his past rage, but then his expression calmed somewhat into a look of frustration.

“Damn it, you...I almost believe you,” he laughed bitterly at his own words. “You look so sincere, maybe you truly do believe that this is the case, but I…”

“..You?” you prompted gently after a long moment, hoping maybe he would continue the thought he seemed to have given up on.

But your shoulders sagged in a slight disappointment when you realized that wouldn’t be the case, with him only shaking his head in a silent refusal. 

“You...remind me of....someone. You’re quite different, but there's just something about it.” He spoke in a near whisper, leaving you to lean in towards his end of the room to hear his words.

“N-no, not quite the same, you’re naive,” he spoke bluntly, loudly now. “Just as I used to be. It makes me almost feel bad for you, yet I envy you, you and your _hope_.”

He hissed out the words, his teeth clenched. He snapped his head away from you, but not before you caught sight of the tears staining his cheeks.

You stood too quickly from your chair, the sound of it scraping against the tile floor making you wince.

“S-Saeran, I didn’t mean to—”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget it.” 

He still wouldn’t look in your direction, and his voice sounded so wounded that your heart ached with the sound of it. Slowly you stepped over the hospital bed, placing and hesitant hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the contact, whipping his head around to finally look at you in bewilderment.

“What are you doing?” He sounded almost frightened, tears stilling gently flowing down his face.

“Can I hold you..?” You asked it with uncertainty, not wanting to frighten or hurt him any further then you might have already.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because you’re hurting and you’re afraid, and I want to comfort you, to help you. Because I care about you, Saeran.”

He was silent for a long time, seemingly searching your face for something. You lifted your hand from his shoulder, feeling guilty for probably only making him more uncomfortable in this strange situation. 

“I can leave you alone if you’d like. I’m truly sorry about all this.”

“No,” Saeran finally choked out the word, and it sounded like he was gasping for air with the effort of it.

“I mean, I don’t know, you can try. Holding me.”

“You want me to…?”

He shrugged his shoulders shakily. “I’m not sure, it might help. I might want that…” He broke eye contact nervously.

“Okay,” you spoke slowly, moving back to your previous position at his bedside. “Just tell me if you don’t like it, okay?”

After his curt nod, you wound your arms around his slender frame gently, rubbing soothing circles into his back. For a long moment he stayed stiff in your arms, before letting his frame sag, his arms awkwardly finding their way around you. You noticed in slight surprise a wetness on your shoulder, and realized he was weeping silently into your shoulder.

And then you heard the hospital door creak open, and Saeran attempted to pull away from you in a strange sort of embarrassment as quickly as he could as his brother entered the room.

Saeyoung was looking on at the scene before him with baffled amazement.

“I said I’d be back soon…” He looked to you, questions in his eyes.

“Well, I uh, didn’t see…” You laughed nervously, the strange new tension in the air palpable.

“I know you’re soulmates.” 

Saeran blurted into the room, staring his brother down and speaking simply, the only evidence of his previous upset the tear stains on his cheeks.

“Ah.” Was all that left Sevens mouth for a long, tense moment. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“Not with you.” Saeran bit back bitterly.

Seven winced at the comment, looking both hurt and expectant of the response. “Well, at least you’re starting to look a bit better…”

“Look, I know you have things you need to discuss with her. You can leave.” 

Saeran was facing away from the both of you now, his eyes trained on the window. Seven sighed.

“Saeran, I didn’t mean to...please can’t we just..talk? About anything at all?” he sounded desperate, but his brother remained silent.

“Well I can’t expect you to forgive me overnight, but I also can’t leave you in here by yourself..” 

He ran a hand through his hair, walking over to you and placing a gentle arm around your middle, knowing to keep his distance from his brother at the moment.

“So until Jumin gets back, at least one of us is going to have to stay here with you.” 

Just as Seven finished his words, a knock on the door rang out across the room, and one of the nurses popped her head in the room.

“I’m sorry for the interruption, but there is a visitor for you...Yoosung Kim, I believe it was?”

You weren’t sure if you saw it correctly, but you could have sworn you caught Saeran stiffen at the nurses words.

“Yoosung, I told you not to…” Seven murmured under his breath, shaking his head tiredly. “Alright. Let him in.”

As quickly as she left, a boy stumbled into the room, adorned with sweats, flip flops, and a flashy t-shirt advertising a video game. He held a bouquet of deep red and white carnations in his hands, and for a long moment the messy blonde looked into the silent room with wonder. You recognized him from his pictures immediately and a smile warmed your face. 

It seemed to break whatever strange spell he had been silently under, because he was beaming then.

“Seven, you didn’t tell me MC was so pretty…! It’s so nice to meet you in person.” 

He bounded up to you happily, forgoing a formal handshake and instead hugging you warmly, moving you from Seven’s hold (which you swore he grumbled quietly about), as he laughed happily. You hugged him back eagerly, his energy warming the icy room easily.

“It’s very nice to meet you too, Yoosung.” You giggled, and he pulled away from you with that contagious smile still stretched across his face.

And then, with all the tact of a small child, he turned to Saeran and gasped aloud in amazement. “Oh, is this your brother, Seven? Jumin told me he looked just like you, he didn’t even mention how cool his eyes and hair were…He’s kind of pretty too, oh wait, is pretty a weird word to use? Sorry!~ I brought you flowers, if that makes any difference, haha...”

Seven was pinching the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath as he lead you towards the doorway. As you walked towards the door you caught sight of Yoosung reaching out a hand towards Saeran in greeting as the boy glared daggers at him and Yoosung carried on obliviously. It was almost sort of...comicial? 

“Yoosung, could you please watch over my brother for a moment? MC and I have some things to discuss and he can’t be left alone.” 

“Of course! I’d be happy to help.” 

Yoosung chirped back in response, and you were trying hard not to laugh at the strange dynamic the two gave off as Seven lead you out of the room, hiding his own grin in the crook of your neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little note: deep red carnations as well as white ones are symbolic here :)


End file.
